The New Allies
by Escape
Summary: The Ellimist makes more Animorphs to help the ones we already know, but these new ones are incredibly stupid. They need the other Animorphs, the pros, to help them if they're to survive. Something big is revealed about the Ellimist and Crayak in the final
1. The Old Anis Have Trouble- The New Allie...

  
  
_

Prologue

Jake

  
  
The Ellimist looked at us. "I have taken great pains to help you," he said cautiously. I looked at him suspiciously, wondering what he'd done this time. "There are five other children. I have made them Animorphs, like you."   
  
"Are you crazy?" Cassie shouted after a few minutes' silence. "We shouldn't be going through this. You can't make other people go through what we've gone through!"   
  
"Relax, Cassie. These children are all special in their own respects." His voice seemed thoughtful. "They are like you in many ways. It is your choice from here on out."   
  
I stopped him before he could send us away. "Who are they?" I asked. "Where are they?"   
  
"They are in your own town. Three are a few blocks away. One is near where Marco used to live. The other will soon live near you, though she doesn't know it yet."   
  
And before we could say another thing, he'd sent us away. The only thing left was a voice saying, "They are very like you in more ways than one."   
  
Ax relaxed as soon as he recognized Cassie's barn. I hate it when he does that, he said.   
  
"You aren't the only one," Marco said testily. "This is a severe violation of our rights."   
  
"I can't believe he did this," Cassie said softly. "And to more kids. Why always kids?"   
  
Because kids are capable of more than people think, Tobias said slowly. We looked up at him. What did he mean, they're like us in more ways than one? It sounded like he was trying to give us one of those hints of his.   
  
"Mind games is more like it," Rachel said.   
  
"We'll keep our eyes open," I said. "When something shows up, then we'll decide what to do."   
  
"Should we get the Chee?" Marco asked. "I can ask Erek to keep his eyes and ears open."   
  
"Sure."_   
  


* * *

  
  


Chapter 1

  
  
"What about that one?" Cameron asked. He pointed to this girl about fifteen feet away.   
  
I grimaced. "I don't know. She looks too much like Alexis." Alexis, by the way, is my younger sister. Alexis has this scraggly, dirty-brown hair and she definitely isn't skinny. I have never said straight out that she was ugly, but if she isn't, she's pretty close to it.   
  
That was how it used to be. Cameron, one of my best friends, and I, hanging out at the mall, checking out girls, playing at the arcade, shopping for computer stuff. It seems like a long time ago. I mean, in reality, it was probably like yesterday. I could tell you for certain if my brain weren't so scrambled.   
  
Just then this girl walked by our table in the food court. She had on a short miniskirt, and a tank top. And, man. Her legs. Cameron always finds it easier to describe girls in just one word. "Ouch," he said dreamily.   
  
I told you so.   
  
"You said it." I practically drooled after her. I caught myself in time and stuffed down two more nachos from Taco Bell.   
  
If you're wondering who "I" am, I'm Chris. We've decided not to talk about any more than that. We can't tell who we are. I'm not even guaranteeing that Chris is really my name. I recently found out that I have enemies. Very, very powerful enemies. I'm just telling you this- we're just telling you this- hoping that you'll be careful.   
  
Hoping.   
  
That was the night everything started. It was a Monday. I guess that officially, it had started before that, but that was the night when we came into the picture. I'm not even sure when it started, or how. All I know is that now, we have to end it. I know that sounds cheesy, maybe even a bit macho, but it's the truth.   
  
First, we had to group up. "Hey, Hardy!" I practically shouted. I had to shout, though. The mall was pretty loud that night. Hardy may look like a shrimp, but he can actually hold his own. You can almost see through his skin and see his bones. Sometimes kids tease him and affectionately call him "Toothpick". Hardy may be bony, but his fists are bonier, as the kids who call him "Toothpick" quickly learn when they find his fist in their face. Hardy has curly brown hair that's always practically matted down on his head. Matching brown eyes, and more freckles than Pippi Longstocking.   
  
Hardy was walking behind his younger sister, Laurel, and my sister, Alexis. They were talking and giggling, Hardy was rolling his eyes.   
  
Alexis and Laurel are the same age, even though Alexis is about three times bigger than Laurel. Hardy is two years older than Laurel, three years younger than me.   
  
Somehow, that sounds like some weird, extreme algebra problem.   
  
Laurel is the complete opposite of Hardy. She's small, true. But she has more meat on her bones. Instead of brown eyes, hers are hazel. Dirty-blond hair, long and flat. And this one little dimple on her cheek. Despite all of that, she's actually managed to become popular in school. But I'm in the first year of high school, and she's in elementary, so I really wouldn't know that much about her social life.   
  
Hardy sat down across from me and left the girls to stand behind him. "Hey," he groaned and then let in head drop on the table.   
  
"What's wrong?" Cameron asked.   
  
Hardy's head popped up. "What's wrong? What's WRONG? My cousin Sam is coming in town tomorrow and she's here," he said, pointing at Laurel. "I mean, not only is she not dead, but she learned a new word!"   
  
That's something about Laurel that drives people crazy sometimes. When she learns a new word, she uses over and over. And over. And over and over and over...   
  
I looked at Laurel. She smiled sweetly.   
  
"What's the word?" I asked Hardy.   
  
Before giving a chance for Hardy to answer, Laurel explained first. "Preposterous. And the idea that I use the word preposterous too much is preposterous."   
  
Laurel started giggling. Hardy groaned. Alexis smiled pitifully at Laurel. I sat there, trying to think of why that was funny. Cameron caught on and didn't laugh.   
  
"Your cousin is coming tomorrow?"   
  
"Yeah," Hardy said. "Didn't I tell you?"   
  
We shook our heads. Hardy explained further. "My cousin Sam is coming to town tomorrow. We've been trying to come up with stuff to do. So far we have the mall, the movies, and the zoo. She's kind of animal-crazy."   
  
"Well, why don't we all go to the mall together tomorrow? When does she get in?" I asked.   
  
"Her plane gets in around two."   
  
Laurel cut in. "And you boys can't make any plans. Alexis and I are taking her to the mall."   
  
I smiled. Time to play big brother. "Lucky us. We were, uh, planning to come to the mall tomorrow."   
  
Hardy looked confused for a few seconds and then tried not to show it. Cameron looked away so the girls couldn't see that he was trying not to laugh.   
  
Alexis, being the my-way-or-no-way person she is, started flaring up. "No way. No way, Chris. We call tomorrow. We had first dibs."   
  
"Well, you can't stop us from seeing her. And talking to her. And besides, we could hang out with the two of you the entire time tomorrow."   
  
Alexis's face started turning red. Her head is kind of round, so she began to look like some sort of sick beet with eyes and a mouth. A big sick beet. "Come on, Laurel. We're leaving." Hardy got up to go with them. I guess it's his job to look after them. I could tell he really didn't want to. Alexis solved that. When she saw Hardy starting to get up, she snapped, "And don't you dare follow us, Charles."   
  
Hardy shrugged and sat down, trying not to groan. He doesn't like his real name. Charles is what people call him when he's in trouble.   
  
The girls got up and left, already discussing ideas to ditch us.   
  
Cameron burst out laughing as soon as they were out of sight. "Playing big brother, Chris and, uh, Charles?" he commented. Hardy blushed. Then Cameron started laughing again.   
  
"That wasn't playing big brother," I said. It truly wasn't. Being a big brother is where you're nice to your younger siblings and set a good example. Being a big brother is where you're responsible, and you don't get in trouble.   
  
I've already messed up.   
  
Hardy, however, had finally caught on. "Of course that isn't being big brother. That comes along with the job. One of the perks."   
  
I smiled. I had a goal now, but I needed to find a way to achieve that goal. And since it probably was possible, tick off the girls even more. "I have an idea."   
  
Hardy leaned in closer to me. "What?"   
  
Cameron leaned in, too. That's one reason the three of us get along so well. We love playing pranks. We'll pretend that we can be good-natured when pranks are played on us, but we will plan revenge very carefully. If we wanted to, we could probably kidnap the principal at school and release him with no evidence pointing to us. We get lots of practice.   
  
We torment Alexis and Laurel.   
  
And this time, I was going to have the honor of planning the prank.   
  
Every prank is a challenge. You have to make sure that everything goes according to plan. You have to have some idea of what you want to do. The timing has to be precise. And lately, the three of us had been playing pranks on our own. Only when we have to achieve something big do we work together. That way, we can say that it wasn't us. And technically, it wasn't us. Not fully. Just a third our fault.   
  
I already felt united with them.   
  
A plan was already forming. And it was a very, very, good plan. "I have a great idea," I told them again.   
  
Operation Torture 32 was about to begin.   
  


* * *

  
  


Chapter 2

  
  
I named it Operation Torture 32 because that was what it was. The thirty-second time we were going to torture Alexis and Laurel at the same time.   
  
So all day, I was on edge. We had to be fast. We would have to run home, and not let the girls see us.   
  
Cameron, Hardy, and I live about two blocks from the school in different directions. Our school is kind of messed up. The elementary kids are in one building, junior high in another, and then the high school building.   
  
I turned around to see the clock. 2:55. Man! Couldn't the teachers let you out of school five minutes early?   
  
I looked over at Cameron. He was staring at the clock. The teacher was staring at him. He called Cameron by his full name. "Do you have something important after school today?"   
  
Cameron didn't turn around. Cameron and I are kind of like troublemakers in school. And we are great liars. "No, sir. I'm just wondering why your clock is five minutes slow."   
  
"The clock isn't five minutes slow." Our teacher was Mr. Cud. I know it's a weird name, but he was supposed to be a great teacher. He taught science, I think. I wasn't awake enough to tell.   
  
Cameron was making a small adjustment with his watch. I did the same. Cameron held up his wrist so Mr. Cud could see the face of his watch. "Yes, it is. See?"   
  
The teacher looked. "I'm afraid, Cameron, that you are mistaken. The clock is right."   
  
"No it isn't. I have that your clock is slow, too." I held out my wrist so he could see my watch, too. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a few other kids mess around with their watches. Cameron and I weren't the only ones who wanted to get out of school early.   
  
More and more kids joined in, and after two minutes, the teacher had let us all out, promising that he would check his clock. Sucker. Cameron and I took off as soon as we were out of the door.   
  


* * *

  
  
"Teachers are so easy," Cameron said.   
  
We left and ran over to the elementary school with about a minute left. I stuck a note in Hardy's locker telling him we had already left. It doesn't take long to run over to the elementary school.   
  
Then we were off again. Just to make sure we would go very fast, we had brought our bikes. There was no way the girls were going to beat us. Hardy had given us directions to his grandparents house, where Samantha was staying. This was the second time she had come to stay without her parents. We hadn't seen her for a long time.   
  
When we were about half a block away, the girls came out of their classroom, not suspecting a thing. They were just talking like they were already teenagers, which they aren't. Alexis was the first to see us. Laurel looked to see what she was gaping at. Hardy came out of his classroom at the same instant.   
  
"Quick, Cameron! Speed up!"   
  
Hardy held his foot out to trip the girls. I looked at him, and he looked at me. I guess he was asking for permission for some reason. I shook my head. He reluctantly withdrew his foot, but luckily before the girls could have tripped. If he had managed to trip the girls, they would have known it had been us setting up the thing. I guess that with girls playing premeditated pranks falls under the category of premeditated murder.   
  
And so the race was on. Cameron and I were on our bikes. The girls running as fast as they could after us. What I mean by as fast as they could go, I mean they were running SLOW. Hardy, however, skin and bones though he was, was the fastest runner on the track team. He didn't have much of a problem keeping up. He shouted directions and struggled to balance his back pack at the same time.   
  
Within a few minutes, we were outside Hardy's grandparents' house. We ran through the backyard, and Hardy shouted hi to his grandparents.   
  
All they said was: "What took you so long to get here?"   
  
Hardy led us through the kitchen, through the front hall, and then through the hall before he stopped at a door.   
  
He was slightly out of breath, but that didn't stop him from swinging the door open in a hurry. "Hey, Sam! You here?"   
  
"Geez, Hardy. I'm glad you're so polite. Thank you for knocking before storming in."   
  
Samantha came through the door. We had met once before. In which time we had split into teams at McDonald's and had waged a bit of a war. Samantha was the only girl on Laurel and Alexis's team who had guts enough to come right into our base. Which was actually in the play area in one of the pipes where we could store our ammunition. By ammunition I mean the little balls they have there. Cameron had kind of called her a pervert, and she had gotten a bit ticked off. If I recalled correctly, she spilled his soft drink in his hat and then placed it on his head, holding his arms until the drink had gone under/through his shirt.   
  
But now she was completely different. I mean, man. As Cameron would say, "Ouch." Her blond hair was cut two inches past the shoulders. And it kind of curled right at the ends. Green eyes, milky skin. Long legs, perfect arms. And what she was wearing. It was a plain white tank top. Not with spaghetti straps or anything, just a plain white tank top. And really, really short blue denim shorts with sneakers that didn't have any socks.   
  
"Hey, Chris. Hey, Cameron."   
  
"Hey," Cameron said dreamily.   
  
I'm different, though. I wasn't going to act sweet or anything around her, so I just said "Hey." I said it a bit louder than I had actually meant to, but I think she pretended not to notice.   
  
"Want to go to the mall?" Hardy asked- way too eagerly.   
  
"Why not? It's not like Grandmommy and Granddaddy will want to take me shopping." The only kid who was my age and called her grandparents Grandmommy and Granddaddy, and she was still great. She grabbed a ponytail holder and put her hair back in a ponytail. It obediently fell into place.   
  
Cameron and I walked our bikes while Hardy and Samantha walked between us. That's when the girls came running up to us.   
  
The first thing Alexis did was shout at me, "Chris! You are in SO much trouble!"   
  
All I did was smile. Saying something like "Ooooh, I'm so scared." would get me into even more trouble when Alexis ran and told Mom.   
  
Laurel just calmly came to a stop and said, "Hey, Sam." She didn't look at me, Cameron, or Hardy. Her way of revenge.   
  
Ouch. (?)   
  
"And where do you think you're going?" Alexis asked me.   
  
"To the mall."   
  
"No way! We're going to the mall."   
  
"Fine. Go. We'll go with you."   
  
Alexis threw her hands into the air in frustration and emitted this sound between a bull snorting and somebody clearing their throat. Then I could see this look come over her face. "Actually, we're going to the Falls. And we're going to take the bus."   
  
"Okay."   
  
"You can't take your bikes on the bus."   
  
I smiled again. We had already discussed this in case we needed a back-up plan. "No problem. Hardy? Your grandparents wouldn't mind if we kept our bikes here for a little while, would they?"   
  
I was concentrating hard on looking straight at Alexis, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hardy shake his head. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind."   
  
"Great." I wheeled my bike around and parked it next to the backyard gate. Cameron followed.   
  
We walked back to the girls and as a group started waking towards the bus stop. The Falls was too far to walk.   
  
"I mean, come on people. We're going to take her to the mall by bus? Isn't that kind of cruel? I mean, 'Hi, welcome. We hope you enjoy that lovely smell. It's called homeless guy-'"   
  
"Okay, Alexis. I think I get the idea," Samantha said. I think none of us wanted to hear what Alexis had been about to say.   
  
We only walked a block to the bus stop. Where we live, they're all over the place. You can't miss them.   
  
Right as we reach the bus stop, my mom drives up. I hide my face and grimace. Cameron just kind of gets this mocking smile on his face. Alexis is so busy talking she doesn't even notice.   
  
"Alexis. Alexis!"   
  
Alexis finished her sentence. I don't know what it was. Something about how I always have to wreck her life. Finally she turned around and realized who was calling to her. "MOM!"   
  
"You bet your bottom dollar, 'Mom'."   
  
"What are you doing here?"   
  
"I went to your school to talk to your teachers-"   
  
"My teachers? Why?"   
  
"It's called a parent-teacher conference. They told me that you haven't been turning in your homework assignments. I also got a list of your assignments and brought all of your books home. And you are coming right home this instant and sit at the breakfast room table until you finish everything. Lucky I saw you on the way home so you can get an early start!"   
  
"But mom-"   
  
"No, buts, young lady. Come on." Mom dragged Alexis to the car. Laurel just kind of looked at her. I got the feeling that maybe Laurel wouldn't miss her. But when Alexis turned her evil eye on me, I smiled my sweetest, vilest smile and waved.   
  
Alexis shook her fists at me as she and my mom drove off.   
  
Samantha sat on the bench with Hardy and Laurel on either side. Cameron and I sat on Hardy's side. We didn't say much. I guess we were all kind of shy or something.   
  
Finally, Samantha spoke up. I guess she couldn't stand the silence. I knew how she felt. The silence seemed kind of eerie. "Remember Brian?"   
  
I knew she had asked Hardy and Laurel, but I was desperate for a conversation. "Who?"   
  
"Brian. He's Hardy and Laurel's cousin, my second cousin. Maybe it's second cousin once removed. Oh, well. He's kind of into all of the X-Files stuff. I mean, I personally believe in life on other planets and all, but I don't exactly think that the computer chip came from aliens."   
  
"Well, you never know. I mean, who invented the computer chip? Do you know?"   
  
Everybody was silent for a while. After an even longer while, Cameron said, "Whoever it was, he's rich."   
  
"Or she," Laurel said.   
  
Cameron shrugged. "Whatever."   
  
More silence. "I don't know," Samantha said. Once again, she was the Breaker of Silence. "But just because someone doesn't know who invented something, doesn't mean that it's some alien type thing. I mean, the Vikings discovered America, but no one knew that for years."   
  
"That doesn't mean that it isn't alien." That was the first thing Hardy had said so far. I wondered if something was wrong with him.   
  
Right then the bus drove up and Cameron and I paid for everyone, including Laurel. It wasn't as much fun playing pranks on Laurel when Alexis wasn't around.   
  
When we got to the mall, Cameron, Hardy, and I led everyone to the arcade. I played Samantha at Mortal Kombat. Somehow she managed to beat me. Then she beat Hardy. Cameron tried to beat her next, and won. He's played every single game in the arcade about twenty-five times, so it's no wonder he won every game. Cameron isn't home a lot. He usually hangs out at the mall.   
  
Laurel didn't play at all. She said it was because she wasn't feeling very well, but we all knew she stunk at video games.   
  
That's how it was. Our last day as normal kids. Hanging out at the mall, playing stupid video games for twenty-five cents. If we had known our lives were about to change entirely, we probably would have spent it with our families or something. But as it was, we didn't. Oh, well.   
  
I wondered if any of us had the sense that the ship was going to crash that night. Sometimes I wonder if anyone else could have wandered along and taken our place, and then we would live our lives not knowing about the Yeerks. But as it was, we got stuck with the only power that could hold the Yeerks off.   
  
Lucky us.   
  


------------------------------------------

  
  
Copyright 2001. There's a reason why everything is so familiar. It comes up in the next chapter. Well, one example does, at least.   
  
Coming up: The Animorphs do some investigating to find the new Animorphs. Meanwhile, the newbies are trying to figure out what to do, slowly grasping the situation. When they realize how much trouble their family is in, they decide they need to take action, but are all of them willing to fight? Cameron leaves the group. Can they get him back? The Yeerks strike to close to home for Chris to ignore, and a secret is revealed about the new Animorphs, the Ellimist, and Crayak.   
  
Hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Please. Even if it sucked, please review this and tell me what you honestly think. Trust me. I've learned enough that I can take it, and it's not as if I can reach through the computer and strangle you. I'm no danger, and I appreciate criticism. So either give me honest criticism or a good review. You'll have my respect if you do. If you don't... well. I've got a 66/1 hits/review ratio. Take pity. Oh! And also lemme know if you think I should continue with this story or just stuff it in some dark hole for the rest of eternity, okay?   
  
Thanks!   
  



	2. The New Allies Gain the Power *screams i...

Chapter 3  
  
Around seven that night we left the mall.   
  
There was that magician thing Hardy wanted to watch. You know, where the magician is in disguise and tells you the secrets of all of the tricks? Well, Hardy is a kind of a magician, and really wanted to watch it. So we were running home, jogging, I guess, trying to catch it before 7:30. It had come on at seven, and Hardy already looked like he might cry.  
  
The bus stop was a bit of a distance away. There was this parking lot, though. It used to belong to this office. Apparently that office didn't do too well. Everybody moved out and away, I guess. The office borders one side of the parking lot. The back side is bordered by a ditch. And the two sides in between have high wooden fences. I could understand stand that. The people who lived behind the fences didn't want to look at a green lawn and then gray, cracked, old, worn concrete.   
  
Normally we aren't supposed to go to The Falls, so you can imagine that we weren't allowed through that parking lot, either. But hey, if you walk through the parking lot, and then through the ditch for a little bit, you can get to the bus stop in half the time. And besides, what my parents don't know won't hurt them. It isn't like I'll go home and they'll ask me, "Chris, did you cut through that parking lot on the way back from The Falls? You know you aren't supposed to do that. You're grounded."  
  
Yeah, right.  
  
So, that's when it happened. When we were walking through the parking lot.   
  
Hardy and Laurel were arguing about aliens, as the matter turned out.  
  
"Hardy, that is so stupid. There is no life on other planets!"  
  
"Yes, there is. The alien race you came from is out there somewhere."  
  
"Whatever, Hardy. Just give me some solid evidence to support your stupid theory."  
  
"Fine, I will."  
  
"Preposterous."  
  
I looked at Samantha. She was walking around a pile of beer bottles someone had dumped. "Nice place. Come here often?"  
  
"Sometimes," I said. I myself walked around the ashes of a fire someone had left. It still smelled like smoke, so it was probably pretty recent. The parking lot was full of ashes from fires, broken beer bottles, and other trash.  
  
I heard a low whistling sound. Probably just a plane, I thought to myself. Our city's big, so there are always plenty of planes   
  
"Does anyone else hear that?" Cameron asked.  
  
"Yeah, it's probably just a plane, but it sounds pretty close." Hardy looked up. So did everyone else. No one saw a thing.  
  
Samantha was the first to realize it was coming straight for us. "Cameron, Chris. In your school, did you learn about blue shifts?"  
  
Cameron answered, "Yeah."  
  
"Well, remember the example they gave? When an object is coming towards you, like a car or something, it causes this sound like a low screeching that gradually gets louder and louder, doesn't it? And then when it passes, it's kind of like a low, soft hum."  
  
"Yeah." I couldn't think of anything else to say. The noise was still getting louder.  
  
"Judging from the sound," Cameron said softly, "it might be coming right at us."  
  
Hardy shook his head. "Jets sound the same way."  
  
Laurel finally caught on. "What's a blue shift?"  
  
Hardy rolled his eyes and looked up towards the heavens. "Good Lord, please give Laurel some brains." Then he cussed. I hadn't known Hardy could cuss with such vigor. He said it with such intensity that we all looked up.  
  
And saw this huge black thing coming straight for us.  
  
"RUN!" I shouted. I realized as soon as I turned around that to tell everyone was completely stupid. Everyone else had run before I had even turned around.  
  
We started to run towards the office wall, back the way we had come, but Samantha's yell stopped us.  
  
"Get in the ditch!"  
  
I fully and totally agreed with her. Standing up against the wall when a firing squad is about to shoot you is stupid. Standing up against the wall when some sort of jet is about to crash and send rocks and stuff heading straight for you is even more stupid when there's a ditch twenty feet away.  
  
"What?" Laurel asked.   
  
"Get. In. The. Ditch." I made sure that I said it slowly so she could understand.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"MOVE IT!" I shoved her, keeping her in front of me. I don't know why. I mean, it's not like I could have protected her. I guess it just felt wrong to leave one person alone in danger when the rest of us were practically safe.  
  
After all, the others had all reached the ditch and were urging us to hurry. Laurel had finally caught on, and was running on her own.  
  
How was I supposed to know about the pipe?  
  
I tripped.  
  
What more can I say? I tripped over a heavy metal pipe that had been hidden in ashes. It was one of those stupid corner pipes. And there was a jet heading straight for me.  
  
I turned around to see the thing crash. I'm sorry, but I think I have this fear of when I'm about to die, I'll miss the moment. I guess I was kind of hoping that at the last second, if I was watching, it would change somehow.  
  
But it doesn't work that way, I guess.  
  
I watched as it fell down. And at the last moment, I did close my eyes.  
  
  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Cameron  
  
I saw the jet land on Chris. My best friend. Dead. Gone forever.  
  
  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Chris  
  
Just kidding.  
  
It turns out that as it got closer, I saw that it wasn't a jet. It wasn't even an aircraft. Actually, it was a spacecraft. As in spaceship. Right out of Star Trek or something.  
  
It was about as big as a school bus. I'm sorry, I don't really want to compare it to something related to school, but that's the only thing I can think of. As it fell, there was this kind of flame or something forming something like the tail of a comet. It turned, and boy was I glad. Then it started coming towards me again.  
  
I wasn't so glad anymore. Couldn't it fall somewhere else than on top of me?  
  
By now, it was heading straight for me again. Surprisingly, I wasn't that scared. I mean, I was kind of scared of dying, but my parents had brought me up to think of it as just another phase of life. Kind of like leaving this life, and going to another. But I was kind of scared. I mean, I had always thought that when I died, I would go down bravely, without crying. No regrets. No sorrow. And it turns out my foot was stuck underneath a pipe.  
  
That's the way to go down.  
  
The ship- or whatever it was- was losing altitude. It had turned and was heading straight for me, getting lower and lower.  
  
Just my luck it would be right on top of me. I tried to pull my foot out. It wouldn't work. I couldn't get out of it. But at the last moment, as the ship fell, it turned slightly. It landed and sent rocks, glass, and dirt, flying over me. I closed my eyes to protect them. I guess that even when you're about to die, the instinct that you don't want your eyes to burn still prevails.  
  
After what seemed like a long time, I opened my eyes. "I'm still here." That was the first thing I said. I looked at myself. My foot was still stuck under the pipe, covered with dirt and ashes. Not to mention the rest of me. My clothes were going to need one heck of a wash.  
  
I heard people running towards me. I turned around and saw Cameron, Samantha, and Hardy coming towards me. Laurel was a bit more reluctant, but she came, too.   
  
Cameron dropped down beside me. "Man, are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah," I said. I nodded too, amazed that I wasn't dead and had escaped without even a broken bone.  
  
Cool.  
  
"My foot's stuck." I pulled on it to prove the fact.  
  
Cameron got down and pulled on the pipe. He stopped right before he began to pull and pushed away some of the ashes. "Someone planted this here."  
  
He pulled the pipe out of the ground enough so I could get my foot out.  
  
"What do you think that thing is?" Samantha asked, indicating the object that had nearly killed me.  
  
"Whatever it is," Cameron answered, "it definitely isn't a jet."  
  
Laurel more or less agreed. "Whatever."  
  
Hardy, however seized the opportunity. "There's your proof, Laurel."  
  
"Oh, shut up, Hardy."  
  
"Make me."  
  
"I will."  
  
"I'd like to see you try."  
  
It was amazing. A- a... uh, thing had almost killed us, and we were standing around, like ourselves.  
  
"Don't you think we should go or something?" Laurel asked, obviously scared and trying not to show it.  
  
Please, don't go.  
  
I had heard that. I knew I had heard it. Except I hadn't heard it. It was as if I just known the words in my head. "Uh, oh." I realized I said the "Uh, oh," when I was trying to identify whoever had said it.  
  
"Uh, guys? I really, really think we should get going." Laurel was tugging on Hardy's sleeve.  
  
"Laurel! Cut it out. The thing told us to stay, so I'm staying."  
  
"You heard it too?" Cameron asked.  
  
"I did," Samantha said.  
  
"Same here." I lifted my hand.  
  
"Oh, maaaan." Laurel. She could go to school, brag about this, and be three times as popular as she was before, and still she was complaining.  
  
"Hey," Samantha snapped. "That's my line!"  
  
Laurel just smiled nervously. "Not anymore."  
  
Please. I must talk to you.  
  
"Okay, tell me that this is very weird," Samantha stated.  
  
"This is beyond very weird," I agreed.  
  
Hardy gave his opinion. "You know, I think it's a UFO"  
  
"UFOs are Unidentified Flying Objects. And this is definitely unidentified." I stared at it a bit longer. "This thing doesn't fly; it crashes."  
  
That's when part of it opened. Straight up like one of those dog doors. This huge centipede came out. It was probably about seven feet long, had cone legs, and a blood-red body.   
  
"Oh, God," Laurel said as she shrank behind Hardy. I saw that Hardy wanted to squirm away, but I guess big brothers are around when you need them.  
  
"You know, I think I can wake up now. Because I am not liking this." I looked at Cameron. It was true. It was written on his face that he clearly wasn't liking this.  
  
You humans now have an important choice. If you choose to accept.  
  
The creature said the "If you choose to accept" part as if we were going to already. He was just giving us a "choice" to be polite. At least it seemed that way.  
  
"What kind of choice?" Samantha asked. "Wait a sec. First tell us who and what you are."  
  
My name is Celestia-Comminna-Terratuse. I am an Andalite stuck in Taxxon morph. That is the first rule of morphing. Never stay in morph for more than two hours. If you do, you shall be stuck in that morph. I made that mistake.  
  
"Morphing?" I asked. As in the Power Rangers morphing? Why did I suddenly feel sick?  
  
Morphing, the alien said as if to say "duh". The ability to change your shape by acquiring the DNA of any living animal.  
  
"Oh," Hardy said.   
  
He and Samantha exchanged looks. Now what could that mean? I wondered.  
  
"What strings are there?" Samantha asked. Smart question.  
  
Strings?  
  
"Yeah, strings. What do we have to do in return for this ability?"  
  
Ah. You most fight an enemy. A powerful enemy. They are parasitic slugs called Yeerks. They crawl into their host's ear canal and take over the brain. They are everywhere. If you choose to accept the power, you may save your race.  
  
"Fighting? Cool." Samantha shrugged and looked at me. "I'm in," she said. "I mean, if these things are threats to our family, friends, everybody we know..." I knew she had let the sentence hang on purpose, but it was working. I'd forgotten that she liked to fight- because she had a knack at it, I guess.  
  
Cameron shook his head and addressed the Taxxon/Andalite. "These hosts. Did they want to become hosts? Are they voluntary?"  
  
Some may be. Others... Others will be involuntary hosts. Taken against their will and made slaves of the Yeerks.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"What the heck," said Hardy. "I guess I'm in. I'm not going to be the one to back out, at least.  
  
Cameron shrugged. "I'm not going to sit back and be turned into a slave."  
  
"I guess I won't either." I noticed that I swallowed as I said that. This seemed... This seemed like the alien was making the matter smaller than it really was.   
  
What about you? I looked around. We had all said yeah, so who?... Oh, yeah. Laurel.  
  
"I don't know. I mean, everything is kind of vague. And can't we think about it? I mean, this is a major decision. I mean, if this is real-"  
  
Hardy interrupted. "If this isn't real you don't have to worry about it, do you?"  
  
Right then, I knew we had decided to go ahead with it. Maybe it was stupid. It was probably really stupid, actually. But we were going to do it anyway. Maybe it was because we really would be trying to protect the people we knew. Maybe we were just trying to protect ourselves. We could have done it because we were tired of the things we were used to. Whatever the reasons, we were going to fight something we hardly knew anything about. Maybe we didn't think this was real and just wanted to have some fun, thinking we'd wake up at any minute.  
  
Good. One of you must go inside the ship and get a blue box that is inside. It is quite plain. A simple blue cube.  
  
"Okay," Samantha said first. "I'll do it."  
  
I think that right then I really got in over my head. See, I just happened to turn chivalrous, because the words that popped out of my big, stupid mouth were, "No way. I'll do it." And then before she could argue, I was running inside the ship. I found the box. It wasn't big at all. Like, four inches square on all sides.   
  
"Okay, I found it." I set it on the ground in front of the alien.   
  
Now you all must touch it.  
  
Samantha's hand was the first on the box. Mine was second. Cameron and Hardy tied for third.   
  
"I don't know," Laurel said, still undecided.  
  
"Forget it." Hardy grabbed her wrist and put her hand on the box.  
  
A second later I felt this kind of tickling feeling. This warm tingling spreading through my blood and everything. I guess I smiled.  
  
The alien brought us out of it. Now you must fight the Yeerks.  
  
"How do we fight them?" Cameron asked.  
  
The Yeerks have a strong weakness. They must return to a Yeerk pool every three days. There they absorb nutrients and Kandrona rays.  
  
My turn for a question. "How do we know if someone has a Yeerk in their head?"  
  
There may be no way. When a Yeerk has taken control of someone, they are called Controllers. The Yeerks know everything the host knows. Acts the same. Talks the same. The host is totally helpless.  
  
"Oh." iThat/i made everything sound more fun.  
  
You must go now. I came to help your species, but something went wrong with my ship. Surely Controllers saw it. They will be here soon. The responsibility to save your people is yours. Now go.  
  
For a second, we all just stood there, looking at each other. We couldn't just leave the Taxxon here. Or was it an Andalite?   
  
"Can't you come with us?" I asked.  
  
I do not belong here. The Taxxon is a dangerous animal. Many were voluntary hosts. But they are carnivores. Very dangerous carnivores.  
  
"So what?" Hardy asked. "You're going to eat us?"  
  
I got a little jumpy when the Andalite wouldn't say anything for a few moments. It would be smart to leave.  
  
"But you're hurt," Laurel said.  
  
For the first time, I noticed that the Andalite had been injured, whether in the crash or some other time. "We have vets. Maybe they can help you."  
  
No. No one must know that I have been here. You must tell no one of the Yeerks. They are more powerful than you may think. If someone found out that you knew about them, Controllers would make you Controllers, also. And then they would also have the morphing ability.  
  
"And that's a bad thing, right?" Hardy asked.  
  
So far, the only Controller with the morphing ability is the only Andalite host. He is called Visser Three. So far.  
  
Headlights flashed. GO!  
  
"But-"  
  
"You're hurt!"  
  
"You have to come with us!"  
  
"What else!?"  
  
"Can't you-"  
  
GO!  
  
Before I knew what I was doing, I shouted, "DO IT!"  
  
And then everything was a blur. We were all running. The ditch was now less than ten feet away. The sound of a car engine was closer. The lights were brighter.   
  
Five feet. The ditch. Safety. The lights, moving towards me.   
  
Two feet.  
  
Just two feet.  
  
JUMP!  
  
It wasn't a big ditch. I had been running too quickly. I had put too much force in the jump. As a matter of fact, I had jumped right over the ditch.  
  
No time! I dropped to the ground right as more car lights swept over me. As soon as they had passed, I rolled into the ditch. Thankfully, Cameron had realized what I was planning and caught me before I took a swim in ditch water.  
  
So, we just crouched there. Five kids, with no clue what was going on, crouching as close as they could get to the side of ditch, where they weren't supposed to be.  
  
"I'm sick of this." I looked to see who the speaker was. I should have just saved my energy. Samantha.  
  
"You stay here. I've been here plenty of times. I'll do it."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
So that's how I ended up crawling the edge of the ditch, trying to remember if there really was a scrubby patch of grass above me.  
  
Luckily, there was.  
  
Great. That made me feel better. Scrawny piece of grass. My big head.  
  
A limo was one of the cars. It drove up right next to the ship, then drove away. The cars formed a circle. A Taxxon body might have gotten through, but the Andalite didn't even try. A human had gotten out of the limo. Then, right before my eyes, he began to change.  
  
I mean, really change.   
  
Humans, if you are still in thought-speak range, this... this creature is Visser Three.   
  
Heads bobbed up around me.   
  
The human, though. He was growing hair all over. Blue hair. His eyes split in half. Two seemed to grow to the top of his head, the other two grew to their original size. The nose and mouth disappeared and became three slits. Then his butt started to grow. I mean it. At first it was just kind of jutting out, then the Visser's legs popped out of the bottom of his butt and started growing. When the legs were done, and then the back, he, or "it" looked like a blue centaur with eyes that stood on little stalks or whatever and missing a nose and mouth. I felt this, this evil. It was incredible. Right away, I could smell the evil. And I knew instantly that Visser Three was not a nice guy.  
  
You thought you could run? Visser Three started laughing.  
  
Then came Celestia's response. Visser Three?  
  
Yes?  
  
Shove it.  
  
I felt my eyebrows rise. An alien using very modern human phrases.  
  
You will regret saying that, Andalite.  
  
I don't think so. You should take some of the brains you have- you might need a microscope to find them before you cut them- mix them with some oatmeal, and then shove it up your fat- and the Celestia said some very modern human phrases.  
  
After that, Visser Three just stood above Celestia, looking right into her compound eyes. Neither of them moved. The tension mounted. It kept mounting. After a while, Visser Three laughed.  
  
Andalite scum. You would have made a great host. But no, you are just a young girl. Why waste?  
  
And with that, he started changing. His skin grew moist and turned a dark green with splotches of crimson red. He got fatter. To the point that his stomach was almost touching the ground. Then, small, microscopic legs started popping up. He grew a mouth again. The mouth along with the head oozed into the rest of the... thing. By now he was just this huge blob of... well, stuff.  
  
And then, as he crept closer to the Andalite stuck in Taxxon morph, I heard her voice again. You can't stay in morph for more than two hours, or else you will be stuck in morph forever. Two hours.  
  
Visser Three seemed to stumble and fall on top of Celestia. I saw his mouth. The mouth was full of huge, razor-sharp teeth. Not once did Celestia scream. She died and didn't go down screaming. Now I wonder if that made her brave, or just mentally ill.  
  
I don't know if the others realized it, but I knew. I knew why she had done that. She had tricked Visser Three. He had been so preoccupied with Celestia that we could have sneaked away.  
  
His jaws closed in around her.  
  
Beside me, Laurel cried, "No!"  
  
In that instant, every Controller looked our way- and saw five human heads vanish into the ditch.   
  
"Laurel, you idiot," Hardy muttered.  
  
I jumped in. Right now, there were more important things. They could argue later. "Okay, we split up. Cameron and Samantha. Hardy and Laurel." Hardy and Laurel pretend to hate each other. But I knew that when they had to, they could work together. And this was one of those times when they had to.  
  
"What about you?" Cameron asked.  
  
"I'll try and distract them."  
  
Samantha shook her head. "I don't think that's a very smart idea."  
  
"Just do it." I could already hear Controllers running towards the ditch. "1...2... 3... GO!"  
  
They started to run. I, however, was going to provide a distraction. I took a deep breath, and before I could stop myself, ran up the side of the ditch. I prayed that being on the football team would be enough.   
  
I ran up the side of the ditch, hoping I was gaining speed. Luckily, the Controllers were somewhat slow. I ran, plowed into four of them.  
  
"Someone grab him!" That voice. It sounded... familiar.  
  
Andalite scum. There must have been more aboard the ship. I heard Visser Three growl behind me. But I kept running.  
  
I ran into the alley. I guess officially, it would be the road leading to the parking lot. There were cars parked here, too. And too late I realized that not all of the Controllers were with the Visser. A jeep turned its brights on right as I was heading for it. That blinded me. The sound of the engine coming to life deafened me.   
  
If taste had been a major sense, I probably would have lost that, too.  
  
The sound was getting closer. I held up my hand to shield my eyes from the light. They adjusted just enough to show me what I really didn't want to know.   
  
The jeep was about to plow over me.  
  
  
  
i"You may have one thing," the Ellimist told me. I looked back at the Chris in the past. The Ellimist knew what he was doing. He was showing me this for a reason. If Chris didn't make it past the jeep, he was going to die or be caught, and then it would all be over.  
  
"Do we all have one wish?" I asked, stalling.  
  
"Yes. What do you wish for?"  
  
"You know what I wish for," I told him.  
  
"Chris."  
  
"Yes, already. Keep Chris safe." The Ellimist nodded. I knew he was nodding to someone, but I wasn't sure who. Maybe to himself. I turned and watched even though I knew it wouldn't do any good to see how my wish had affect things. I was already leaving the scene./i  
  
  
  
I was scared, true. But at the same time, I kept thinking, Jackie Chan. Jackie Chan. I think I've watched too many action movies. Way too many way too many times. Maybe that explains what I did next. I ran straight ahead. The jeep didn't stop. I jumped up, landed on the hood, kept running. Leap off the wind shield, land on the concrete. Landed hard on the concrete. Very hard.   
  
Then I got up and kept running.   
  
Behind me, I heard, "Move it! Move it! We can't let them get away!" Still, the voice sounded familiar.  
  
I ran all the way home that night. The first time I ran miles without complaining.  
  
center* * */center  
  
centeriCassie/center  
  
I couldn't believe it. I'd opened the morning paper- We were all trying to keep an eye on things. And then I saw just a small box of print, telling about kids having a bonfire in a very familiar place for me. "Like us in more ways than one," I said softly. Same place. What were the other ways they were like us?  
  
"What?" my dad asked.  
  
"Nothing. Just thinking."  
  
I took the paper with me that morning before I left for school. I had to show it to Jake./i/html  
  
  
Coming up: I told you these new kids were stupid. It only gets worse. The Anis find the new kids. And, let's see... Um... More trouble to come, of course. 


	3. Martin Backs Out and Cameron Loses His M...

Recap: Nothing much has happened, besides their getting the power to morph and the Anis searching for them. How much of this are you predicting? I'm just wondering, because I said they would have a lot in common with the Anis, but could you say in the review whether it was too predictable that you knew it'd happen, or it was so predictable you didn't expect it, or did it just surprise you? Please tell me. Curiosity has beaten me again.  
  
  
  
  
centerChapter 5/center  
  
The next day at school, I was kind of out of it. I wasn't sure if all of the Controllers had followed me. Maybe some Controllers had gone after the others. Thanks to Alexis, who got us to school late, I didn't find out about Cameron until second period.  
  
I was in history class, nodding away as I listened -more or less- to a lecture about how we shouldn't flush toilet paper down the toilets. Then a crumpled up paper ball hit me in the arm.  
  
I looked around. Cameron sits right next to me in history. I had just been too sleepy to notice him sitting there. I don't know why he chose to throw a paper ball at me when he could have just thumped me, though.  
  
He looked at me for a second. I guess he was trying to see if I was okay. I looked at him, nodded, and then fell asleep, feeling a bit better.  
  
After class, he waited for me by the door.   
  
"Hey, you okay?"  
  
"Yeah. Did they chase you last night?"  
  
"They? No, they didn't. But they did put this in the morning paper."  
  
He handed me a crumpled piece of newspaper. I uncrumpled it. Some of the ink in the creases had been rubbed off a bit, but not enough that I couldn't tell what it said. "'City police are looking for children who were in the parking lot behind the abandoned Will Sikes Broadcasting station.' Why would they be looking for us?" I asked Cameron.  
  
"Duh. Think about what we saw last night, Chris. And if what that thing said is true, they probably want to annihilate anyone who saw something."  
  
"And tell someone else about it." I read the rest of the article. "'The children set up a bonfire without adult supervision. People reported they had seen a UFO. The police believe that what they saw was actually the smoke from the fire, possibly with bits of debris. When police arrived on the scene, the children ran away.'"  
  
I crumpled on the piece of paper. I felt like punching somebody. Instead, I threw my books in my locker. "But that isn't true." I still couldn't believe it. "We could have come up with better lies."  
  
Cameron nodded in agreement. Then shook his head to get to thinking straight again. I could tell he hadn't gotten much sleep either. "Of course it isn't true. Don't you get it? They're saying that we did something wrong. That way, ordinary people will help them search for us without even knowing it."  
  
"Man. You know what the worst part of this is? The cops could have told the truth, and if that was the case, people at the newspaper would have to be Con-" I lowered my voice and looked around "-trollers. No, because then the cops could raise an uproar. So the cops must be Controllers."  
  
Cameron nodded. "Or both."  
  
I felt my stomach tighten. I had a feeling about this. And it wasn't good.  
  
What to do next? What was I supposed to do? Was I supposed to do anything? Could I just walk away? Could we?  
  
I sighed. I was having second thoughts. Maybe the others were, too. The only thing I could see fit to do was to take a vote. It was only fair.  
  
"Okay, after school, we get together, go someplace we think will be quiet enough, and we can talk there. We need to take a vote. Decide what we're going to do about all this."  
  
Cameron just nodded. "Yeah. The others can vote, but Chris, my vote's no. I can't do it."   
  
For a second I just stood there. What if the others voted no? What if one person didn't? And why and how had Cameron decided so quickly? Oh, well. That was his decision.   
  
"Okay. I guess we can talk to the others after school."  
  
Then we went to our own classes.  
  
  
  
Chapter 6  
  
"So, let me get this straight. We have to go to the mall, where no one would notice a bunch of kids talking and hanging out, and then vote on whether we want to fight to save the world. Is that it?"  
  
"Basically." Samantha and I looked at each other. Hardy and Laurel were behind us, listening as I tried to fill in Samantha. Cameron wasn't coming. He had already made his decision.  
  
"Oh."  
  
I started talking again. About absolutely nothing. It was kind of weird. I didn't want to say anything, but like an idiot, words just gushed out and I couldn't stop them. "Originally it was supposed to be in a quiet, isolated place, kind of. But I thought about it and decided that people were less likely to notice a bunch of kids at the mall or something."  
  
"Smart."  
  
Laurel spoke up from behind us. "Can we go shopping while we're there?"  
  
We ignored her. I took a few steps to get us started in the direction of the mall. Wait a sec. "Which mall?" I asked.  
  
Samantha answered first. "The Falls was cool."  
  
"They might be looking for us there," Laurel pointed out.  
  
Hardy said, "Lightning never strikes the same place twice."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Hardy made a face. "Or is it 'Cats never return to the scene of the crime?' No, that isn't it. Is it? How about 'Lightning never returns to the scene of the crime."  
  
Poor kid, I thought. I wasn't really in the mood for "What was it again?" so I said, "Whatever."   
  
That put an end to that.  
  
"Out of curiosity," Laurel said softly. "But has anybody tried it out yet?"  
  
"Tried what out?" I knew what she meant, I was just hoping she didn't mean what I thought she meant.  
  
"Well, the alien said we could morph, didn't she? Has anyone tried out morphing?"  
  
Samantha shrugged. Hardy muttered something that sounded like a no. I said. "Not yet."  
  
Not yet. Man, that sounded like everything was real. It couldn't be real though. Not a chance.   
  
But then the vision of the Taxxon came drifting back. Of the guy in the jeep. Of Visser Three jeering, mocking, and then screaming.  
  
Suddenly, I shivered. I was pretty sure that maybe this was real.  
  
"So, what do we do?" Samantha asked.  
  
Hardy added, "Yeah, I know. I mean, we're just kids. Up against some advanced aliens, who are far more advanced than any human being that ever walked the earth."  
  
"Preposterous," Laurel muttered.  
  
"Thank you, Ms. Optimism," I muttered.  
  
It was then that Hardy got this idea. Personally, I wasn't too wild about it. "Hey," he said. "I have an idea." Right about then I felt like I would punch him. Because deep down, I think I knew what his idea was. "Why don't we try this whole morphing thing, and if it works, we go and crash the Yeerks' little invasion plans?"  
  
"And how do you propose that," I asked dryly.  
  
"Oh, come on. It'll be fun. Like 'Independence Day'."  
  
"I see," Samantha said. "So you think we should get some high-tech computer virus and just mess us the Yeerks computers. Right?"  
  
"Right."  
  
"We don't even know if they have real computers."  
  
"All aliens have computers," Hardy argued. "It's practically a law. Correction. It is a law. All aliens must have computers."  
  
Behind us, I heard Laurel mutter "Preposterous," again. A second later, I heard her clear her throat. "Doesn't it make more sense to just go on a spy mission first?"  
  
We stopped and just stood there for a few seconds.   
  
"You know," Hardy said slowly. "She actually has a point. Then we would know how strong they are. Maybe."  
  
I couldn't help noticing the "Maybe."  
  
"And I think we should try this morphing thing out first, too."  
  
Hardy and Samantha looked at each other. I swear they had some sort of telepathic connection or something. "Okay, we try this thing out first," Samantha said. "Then- if it works, we go on the spy mission."  
  
Hardy waited for an instant after she finished. "And then could we blow them up?"  
  
I smiled. "So I guess we're getting into this, huh?"  
  
Hardy and Samantha smiled and gave each other a high-five. "Getting into this?" Hardy echoed. "Hey, man, we just want to kick some alien butt."  
  
I laughed. We all did. It was kind of like we didn't care that we knew about something no one else knew about. And that we were the only ones left to fight.   
  
"Since the schedule has been changed," Laurel said slowly, "and since we are on our way to the mall..."  
  
"So, what?" I asked. "We're just going to blow this whole thing and hang out."  
  
Laurel shook her head. "Not that, just, put it off a bit. Enjoy being kids one last little, itsy-bitsy day." She looked at me with the big, puppy dog eyes. "Please? Pretty pleeeeeeeeeeeassssse?"  
  
I rolled my eyes. "I guess." Besides, saving the world could wait till tomorrow. After all, we were still kids.  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter 7  
  
The next morning, at four o'clock in the morning, I woke up. I didn't want to wake up, since it was Wednesday and I seriously doubted the school week would ever end.  
  
Chris. Hey, Chris! Wake up.  
  
No problem, Chris. You're dreaming. Go back to sleep.  
  
The scratching sounds got louder. Chris. Wake up!  
  
I blinked. It was still dark. My house is two stories. I'm in a corner room on the second story. My bed is shoved into the outside corner; the door is on the inside corner; the closet is on the wall next to it, and by the wall next to my bed are some shelves. Windows are on both walls.  
  
I closed my eyes and opened them again. There were two cats on my windowsill.   
  
Chris. Come on. Let us in. The cats started pawing again at the window screen. I rolled over. It was just a dream. The alien was the only one who could speak through their thoughts like that.   
  
All of a sudden, I was back in the parking lot. I hated it there. I saw Visser Three in his huge, threatening morph. I saw him stumble. I saw Celestia just sit there- or maybe she just stood there. Two hours...  
  
I sat up and forced myself to wake up enough that I wouldn't have to think about it.   
  
Chris. Come on, man. Let us- Let me in. It's Hardy.  
  
Jerk, the other cat told Hardy. Come on, Chris. Don't listen to him. Let us both in. Or just me.  
  
No way. Why don't you go someplace and cough up a hair ball?  
  
"Oh, brother," I muttered. I got out of bed. I wasn't conscious enough to realize that the idea of Hardy and Laurel sitting on my windowsill at four o'clock in the morning in cat shapes and talking to me telepathically was strange. So, without really knowing what the heck I was doing, I went over to the window and opened it. Then I collapsed into my bed.  
  
Oh, that helps. Chris? Man, there's a screen.  
  
Come on, Chris. It took us almost an hour to find out how to morph. And we finally did, too. Then it took us about twenty minutes to get over here. Five minutes for us to figure out how to get in. Seven minutes to climb the stupid tree. And now we've been up here for about a gazillion years.  
  
In short, we've been in morph about fifty minutes. Hey, Chris. Hello-o-o. Earth to Chris. This is Hardy. Please let us come in. Oh, forget it. OPEN THE WINDOW SCREEN!!  
  
I was awake now. With a slight headache from Hardy yelling in head, of course. "All right, all right." I went to the window again, with a faint memory of opening the window already.  
  
I walked- okay, if you must know, it was more like I stumbled- over to the window. As soon as I got there, I told the two cats, "You know, I already thought I was nuts when that alien ship or whatever crashed. And you are not helping."  
  
Whatever. Chris, you had better let us in, or I'll... I'll... It was the cat on the right whining. No doubt it was the Laurel cat.  
  
"You'll what?" I taunted. "Tell your mommy on me?"  
  
That isn't funny, she muttered.  
  
Hardy, the cat on the left, shook his head. Come on, Chris. Do you wanna know why you don't see sensible cats walking around really, really early in the morning? It's because their butts get soaked by the dew. And I'm telling you, the dew this morning is cold. As in freezing.  
  
I rolled my eyes. So why did he want to come into my room? To warm his butt by the fire? I had the upper hand in a great prank, and I was probably abusing the privilege.  
  
Come on, man. Almost an hour, now.  
  
I frowned. Half of the limit. No more joking. "The screen will push outward." Then, after what I considered a warning, I unhooked the latches at the bottom of the screen and shoved it towards the cats. They jumped on the tree limb. I hadn't noticed before that the tree next to my window was strong enough to support a cat's weight. Apparently it was.  
  
I jumped myself when Laurel and Hardy hissed and tried to claw me. The screen thudded against the wood of the window, and I made a grab for it, hoping it hadn't woken anybody up.  
  
The cats seemed to regain themselves and crawled between the half open window screen and window frame.  
  
Sorry about that, man, Hardy apologized. I guess it makes sense.  
  
I stretched my arms. "At this point, nothing makes sense." I sat on my bed.  
  
Then before my eyes, one of the cats started to change. First it grew until it reached the size of maybe a lioness. I had seen a photo of them a while ago on the discovery channel. Sorry to stray from the subject.  
  
It's kind of gross to describe, so if you don't like gross stuff, you might want to skip the next paragraph.  
  
Like I said, the cat grew to the size of a lioness. Next this dark blond hair grew out. I mean, it was like a cross between Marilyn Manson after a bleaching problem and Simba, the little Disney character. The arms and legs got really fat, and the skin started shriveling up. Then, they shot out. As simple as that. Where there had previously been these fat wrinkled things that had little stubby fingers and toes, there were suddenly long pieces of spaghetti chopped in five ways at the ends. Just a suddenly, they shrank to normal size. The head started to change. The eyes grew bigger and rounder, but they stayed blue. The fur on the face shrank and pink skin took its place. As a matter of fact, the fur everywhere pretty much disappeared. The half cat/half human got skinnier and the tail disappeared with a little Shi-WOPP. And then Laurel stood up in front of me wearing a white-silver skin tight gymnastics suit with dashes of hot pink, bright blue, purple, and sea-green on it.  
  
"I think what Hardy means," she said, as if she were perfectly normal, "is that it makes sense that when you become the cat, you are the cat."  
  
"Huh?" That did not make sense. Because if they were cats, how were the cats smart enough to talk back?  
  
Behind Laurel, I saw another cat growing. This one had dark curly hair and dark brown eyes. "Okay. Chris, it isn't like you are the cat exactly. I mean, you are, its just that you're in the cat's body, and the cat's mind is there, but yours is, too. Kind of like half and half."  
  
"Oh, well, that makes a lot more sense," I said sarcastically.  
  
Hardy shrugged. "When you try it you'll understand."  
  
I smiled. No way was he going to get me to do that.  
  
Hardy went on. "It's really cool. Acquiring is like pulling the DNA out of the animal." For a second, he looked like he was going to go on. Instead, he asked "What time is it?"  
  
I looked at my clock. "Twenty past four."  
  
Laurel groaned. Hardy smiled.  
  
"I guess we have to get going."  
  
"So soon?" I asked, intending for it to be a joke. They didn't laugh.  
  
"Well, Laurel and I are in the habit of waking up at five in the morning. We're on a schedule."  
  
"Five? In the morning? Seriously? When do you sleep?" I groaned.   
  
"Between nine o'clock at night and five in the morning, of course."  
  
"Whatever. You know what? Just go. Get your butts out of here and go to sleep."  
  
Laurel did a little bow to me. "Yes, great leader."  
  
Huh? Apparently I was missing something. "What do you mean, 'Great leader'? Oh, I get it." It had just then dawned on me. "That was sarcasm."  
  
Laurel looked at me. "I nominated you for leader of our little group." Then she began to morph. I turned away when her ears and eyes changed. This was just a little bit too weird.   
  
"We don't even know if we're fighting yet."  
  
Laurel spoke in the thought-speak again. I'm in. Hardy's in. I'm pretty sure Sam is in. That makes three. I don't know about Cameron. Either way, the majority is fighting.  
  
"Whatever." I heard two soft thumps on my windowsill.  
  
AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!  
  
I ran to the window and looked down. One of the cats was struggling to sit up on the grass below.   
  
HARDY! You moved the branch, you jerk! I'll GET YOU!!!!! Then Laurel was up and running.   
  
Who? Me? Little, innocent Hardy? No way. And in my head alone, he said, Well, maybe a little way.   
  
I smiled. How did I know the thought-speak was to me alone? How could they use it? What was it like to be an animal? Like a cat. Or a dog. My dog Presley?  
  
Why not? After all, Hardy and Laurel weren't the only ones who had the power.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Coming up: You guessed it, Chris is going to try and morph. We still have yet to find out why the Ellimist is doing this, and I'm hoping it'll surprise you. There will be varying degrees of predictability, hopefully, with the lowest point being non-existent. As you may have guessed, the Anis didn't show up here. They will show, though. And the newbies have their first fight ahead of them still. *tsk tsk* I wrote about these guys and I don't like how they can be so STUPID! Don't tell them I said that- these are kind of real people. Oh, yeah. Before I forget: Copyright 2001  
  
Oh, and Hardy and Laurel will soon be getting their names changed although they don't know it yet. If anyone would like to email me or leave name suggestions in the review, I'd be grateful. Thanks. 


	4. Chris's First Morph and the Annoying Lit...

This one is really short: Chris does his first morph and... *grabs tongue with fingers dipped in superglue to make sure she won't slip.  
  
  
  
Chapter 8  
  
I went downstairs as quietly as I could. I went out the kitchen door to the backyard. Presley was asleep in his doghouse. He didn't even notice someone was coming up until I was two feet away.  
  
"Easy boy," I said. Hopefully he wouldn't bark and wake everybody up.  
  
Don't get me wrong. Presley is a great watchdog. Or at least he used to be. We live in a pretty nice neighborhood. When he was a puppy, he would bark at the butterflies flying by. But then I guess he noticed that there was nothing to worry about. And all of the humans are nice to him, so he doesn't really care that much.   
  
As for Presley's looks, he looks a lot like the person he's named after. The top of his head is black, and there's this little black spot that makes it look like one corner of his mouth is always being raised. I didn't name him. My mom is the Elvis Presley fan. Alexis and I just call him Presley. It sounds like more of a dog's name, and "Elvis" just sounds kind of weird. Like my dog should be dead or something.  
  
"Hey. Want to go inside?"  
  
Presley's head popped up at the word "inside." It might be true that cats and dogs don't understand the English language, but they certainly do understand a few words.  
  
I grabbed his collar and led him inside and up the stairs.   
  
When we were in my room, I closed the door. If this did work- and I hadn't been dreaming, then I didn't want to be disturbed.   
  
Then I realized something. I didn't know how to acquire DNA. I sat on the floor and petted Presley in disappointment. That's when I got to thinking, What is like to be a cat? Or a dog? and then I kept thinking. I actually tried to imagine if when they ran around, were they happy, or just energetic? And why did dogs wag their tails? I remembered that when we first got Presley, Alexis kept pulling his tail. Every time she did, Presley would throw a fit and run inside his doghouse. What was it like to actually pull something out of a dog? Especially DNA? I mean, could you feel some sort of string between you and the animal? Could you see it?  
  
I stroked Presley. And how did you morph a stupid dog? Presley was calm now, like always, but now he had a glazed look in his eye. I leaned over to see better. What the heck had just happened? Presley was immobilized. You know, not moving. I could see his fur going up and down, so I knew he was breathing, but what if Presley had just had some sort of sudden heart attack?   
  
Then I noticed something. I felt weird. It didn't last very long, but it felt like, like I had just gained something. I realized what I had done. I had just acquired Presley. Oh, cool, I thought. Time to morph for the first time!   
  
I stood up. Presley was still rigid. I started counting. 1 ...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10. Presley shook his head. He ended up by looking at me pitifully. He raised his head and started forming a little "O" with his mouth. And then he started to howl.  
  
  
  
Chapter 9  
  
I dived and landed next to him. I cupped my hand over his mouth and held it there, tight enough that he couldn't bark, but he could still breathe.   
  
"Easy, boy. Good boy. Are you going to be still?"  
  
Presley shook his head, trying to get free of my hand and whined. I let him go. He must have noticed something had happened. I looked at me for a few seconds and backed away. You know why?   
  
Because for the first time in my life, I was morphing.  
  
Later I asked myself how I did it. But I didn't really know. I didn't really care all that much really. All I knew was that my ears were getting longer and hairier, flatter. My almost-sandy-blond hair was turning platinum blond, then completely white. I looked in the mirror behind me. There was a huge black spot on my back. Then it felt like my face was being stretched outward. I focused in front of me and saw the muzzle, with a black nose. I felt something shoot out of my back and turned around again. I noticed that I had a black tail. Now my legs started to shrink. My feet became thinner and almost round. My toes clumped together. And I realized that my heel had formed the hock of the dog's leg. I fell forward. Dogs weren't made to stand upright and all of my unchanged weight wasn't helping.  
  
Now my arm changed. The fingers shriveled up, clumped together, and then shrank. My arms became thinner. An extra toe branched off my elbow. As I got thinner and thinner, there was this tickling feeling. Like someone was brushing feathers against me all over.  
  
And then came the rush of senses. I had been to preoccupied with what was happening to really concentrate on them that much. Presley was howling his brains out and hiding under my bed. I laid down on the ground and covered my ears. You think listening to dogs bark as a human is bad? Try this. Put your TV on mute and then get the volume as high as it can go. Then put your ear right next to the speaker and take the mute off. On second thought, don't try it. You might blow up your eardrum.  
  
"Presley! Would you shut up?!" Alexis ran into my room. "Stupid dog." She made a grab for my neck. I dodged it and leaped to the other side of the room. Now we get to play tag. Tag? Tag? Why would I, Chris, play tag? Because it's fun.  
  
I know it sounds weird, but that dog, my dog, was very happy. I mean, Alexis was right there, trying to catch me to drag me outside in the heat, and the dog mind was thinking it was a game. Fun.   
  
"Where's your collar, boy?"   
  
My tongue stuck out and I started panting. Collar? Why did I need a collar? Collars were bad.  
  
"Come here, boy."  
  
By now, the real Presley had quieted. But not me. I wanted to play tag. I barked.   
  
Alexis sighed. "Where's Chris when you need him? Leave it to my big brother to leave right when his stupid dog starts freaking out." She looked at me. "Come here boy."  
  
I barked again.  
  
"Stupid dog! COME HERE!"  
  
My tail sank. I hadn't done anything wrong. I had only been playing. Having fun. What was so wrong about that? She should have played with me. I had made her mad. And now I was in trouble.  
  
"Oh, listen Presley," Presley? "I'm sorry I got so mad at you, but it's really early and I'm really tired, and I'm going to be really, really busy this afternoon. So let's just go outside, okay?" She grabbed my ears. It was kind of irritating, but I was so low I didn't care. She led me downstairs. Before I knew it, the kitchen door had opened and she had pushed me outside.   
  
"Go on, Presley. And when Chris comes back, bite his butt off. He knows he isn't supposed to let you inside when Mom and Dad are home." Then she closed the door and went away.   
  
Meanwhile, I was low. I mean, down-in-the-dumps low. But then I saw this butterfly flutter by and I took off after it. To the left! To the right. Chris, catch it!  
  
Chris? Who was Chris? Who cared? Right! Right! Right! Up! Me. Chris, duh.   
  
Oh, yeah. Chris. Presley's mind stopped and kind of whined. Not in words, but I could kind of feel it. I had regained control. I looked after the butterfly. Me? Chase a butterfly? Lose my dignity? Good thing no one else would ever find out.  
  
I looked around. Alexis had locked the door. I could hear somebody starting up a lawnmower about four or five blocks away. I scratched the door and faintly smelled blackberry jelly. It was a bit overpowered by the smell of Alexis and the same scent that had been in my room. The strange thing was the smell that was mixed in with Alexis's. It was... I didn't manage to recognize it.  
  
How long had I been in morph? How long had I chased that stupid butterfly? Emphasis on stupid. Might as well be on the safe side and morph back. How had the Power Rangers said it? Demorph.  
  
I wandered into the tool shed and sat there.   
  
You know what? I didn't know how to demorph either.  
  
Okay, Chris. How did you morph the first time? I asked myself. I imagined I was the dog. So just imagine that you're Chris again. Boy. I was sure an idiot. I should have known that right off. Oh, well. Cameron is a lot more stupid than I am.  
  
So I started picturing me. Sandy brown hair. Brown eyes. Kind of dark skin.  
  
When I opened my eyes, there I was. Fully me, fully grown. The only thing was that my clothes were ruined. I decided to leave my shirt in the shed and come back for it later.  
  
It was actually weird. I mean, like actual morphing, it's hard to describe. One half of me felt awe and the other was "What's so weird?". I don't know what that means either. But both sides agreed that I couldn't tell everyone. I had to keep on living life as if nothing had ever changed. Easy.  
  
Right?  
  
I stood on a box and reached up as far as I could. That was where we had hidden the key. Under a flower pot. I got it and jumped down.  
  
When I walked in, Alexis was at the counter, chowing down on a piece of toast that was completely covered with butter and blackberry jam. I almost vomited at the thought of eating something like that.  
  
"Where have you been?" she asked. "Your stupid dog kept barking his head off for some reason."  
  
"I was jogging," I said simply. No details. If she started asking a lot of questions... I wasn't the world's best liar.  
  
Her eyes narrowed. "Then why aren't you sweaty?"  
  
I shrugged. "So I walked about three times as much as I jogged. And I jogged really, really slow. What's the big deal?"  
  
"Nothing. Where did you guys go last night?"  
  
"The Falls. Why?"  
  
"The Falls? The Falls? No wonder I couldn't find you guys."  
  
I don't know why, but right then I kind of got a bad feeling. "Huh?"  
  
"Geez, Chris. Do I have to spell it out for you? I sneaked out last night so I could hang out with you guys and I think mom and dad might know. But if you tell them..." She picked up a jam-dirtied butter knife and pointed it at me. "It's your own fault."  
  
"I'm scared, Alexis. No really. I am. I mean, it's really hard to wash off butter and jam."  
  
"What?"  
  
"What else could you do with a butter knife?"  
  
"Oh, I get it. You were trying to insult me. Or were you trying to make a joke? Never can tell."  
  
"Whatever. I'm going to change."  
  
"Out of the clothes without sweat."  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
I went upstairs and changed. Oddly enough, Presley had fallen asleep under my bed.  
  
I dragged him out by his collar. "Stupid dog." I muttered. I left him in my room while I went to school that day. I would just have to put him out afterwards. So what did I do with the rest of my wonderful day?  
  
Well, first I went to school. Then the mall.  
  
I had never thought the mall would be... well, full of eavesdropping Controllers.  
  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
I still have Crayak's BIG secret up my sleeve, a Copyright 2001 stamped on my forehead, their first battle on my right foot, the similarities and differences between the new and old Anis getting tangled in my hair, and the need for different names for Hardy and Laurel trying to gauge out my eyeballs. Have a nice day. 


	5. The Anis Get a Plan, Marco Gets Stoic, a...

Chapter 10  
  
The bell rang after what seemed like forever. Cameron was the first one out the door. "Hey! Wait up, man." I got my stuff together and rushed out. "Where were you going to so fast?" I asked. To me, I sounded a bit too much like a teacher. I made a mental note not to talk like that again.   
  
Cameron just shrugged.  
  
What was up with him? I mean, so what if this whole thing was changing our lives? The rest of us were in it. It was okay with us. We could help other people. Help them to live like free people or something. Was Cameron too good for that? Or was he just scared because this was important stuff and he didn't think he could cope or whatever?  
  
I tried not to show that I was angry. "Well, I think we should get the vote done." I lowered my voice. "It works, Cameron. It really does. Hardy and Laurel morphed cats this morning. And I morphed Presley. I was Presley. It was so cool. You should change your mind."  
  
I realized Cameron wasn't beside me anymore. I turned around. "What's wrong?"  
  
Cameron stared at me. "What's wrong? What's wrong? Gee, want me to make a list? This is crazy! I don't even know why you're telling me all of this. I already told you! I'm not doing it. Got it? I'm not doing it!" Then he ran past me.   
  
As for me, I just kind of stared after him. He couldn't give up so easily! Who did he think he was? He hadn't even tried!   
  
Eventually the people around me lost interest and went about their own lives. Was that what was wrong with Cameron? I mean, so we weren't like other people anymore. We never would be. But who cared? Something big had happened. We knew about it. We couldn't just sit back and watch everybody we knew be turned into slaves of the Yeerks one by one. We couldn't.   
  
I started out slowly for Samantha's house. Even though it wasn't actually her house, I had gotten into the habit of calling it that.  
  
"Hey, Chris! A little slow, aren't you?" I looked up and saw Alexis on her bike, riding with Laurel.   
  
I faked a smile that I hoped seemed real enough. Then I started running. I couldn't help it though. I wasn't in the mood. We were a group. It didn't seem the same with one less. After a block, I slowed down and let the girls pass me. The talk could wait.  
  
Hardy rode by, pedaling hard on his bike. He rode by so fast I don't think he even recognized me. "Laurel! Alexis! Come back here! I'll get you! Hey! HEY! Listen when I talk to you!" A second later, "If you don't come back, I'm gonna tell mom! Laurel! Did you hear that?!"  
  
Alexis laughed, though I could have sworn it was more like a cackle.   
  
Then Hardy looked behind him. I had slowed to a walk now. "Chris? Chris? What are you doing back here? The girls are beating us." By now he had turned around and was riding back in my direction. "Good heavens, man," he said, imitating a British man, "where's your dignity? Where's your pride? By Jove, one ought to think-" I guess then he saw an expression on my face. I mean, I knew I wasn't in the best of moods, but I hadn't known I was showing it. "Hey, what's wrong?"  
  
"Everything," I said simply.  
  
He turned around again and rode slowly beside me. Any details to go with that?"  
  
"Yeah. Cameron isn't in. He blew up at me a few seconds ago in the hallway."  
  
Hardy nodded. As if he understood. "I guess we'll have to give him a bit of time with no pressure. Go by his house in really cool morphs sometime. We'll win him over eventually."  
  
"I hope so. I just hope 'eventually' isn't too late."  
  
We walked/rode in silence the rest of the way to Hardy's grandparent's house. And when we got there, or rather, near there, Alexis was screaming at the top of her lungs. Hardy and I finally managed to discern what she was saying. "It's all your fault Chris! You told her!"  
  
"Told who?" I shouted. We were still half a block away.  
  
"Mom and Dad, you imbecile!"  
  
"What did I tell them?"  
  
"That I sneaked out! DUH!!"  
  
I looked at Hardy. "She's a bit ticked," I explained. "I didn't tell them," I shouted, half as loud now. I saw Samantha come out of the house. She took one look at Hardy and I walking across the street, Alexis yelling at us with her face red like an overripe tomato, and Laurel standing silently nearby, shaking her head and groaning a bit. She smiled.   
  
"Yes you did! Yes you DID! YES YOU DID!!" Alexis screamed, oblivious to Samantha standing right behind her.  
  
I shook my head. "Whatever."  
  
Samantha smiled again. "Are we going to the mall again, I guess?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
This time we got to the bus stop without trouble. And Alexis stuck to us like glue. Just our luck. Alexis and Laurel kept talking to Samantha, and neither Hardy nor I could get a word in edgewise. I might have been mistaken, but it looked like Samantha was about to puke. Instead, I talked to Hardy.  
  
"Have you seen the new Star Wars movie?"  
  
"No. My dad's working on tickets." Hardy's dad is one of the owners of an insurance company. Let's just say that the business is very successful. "We might be able to go tomorrow. If we get tickets, we're going to take the whole gang."  
  
"By 'the whole gang', do you mean us and..." I stared meaningfully at Alexis.  
  
"Yeah. The whole gang. Or as my mom and dad say, 'the gang'"  
  
"Feels great to be part of a group, doesn't it?" I asked dryly.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
When we got to the mall, I still hadn't figured out how to ditch Alexis.  
  
I dropped back to talk to Samantha. Laurel and Alexis had gotten into some sort of fight about whether the Backstreet Boys or *NSync was cooler.  
  
"I've got to figure out how to ditch Alexis. Any ideas?"  
  
She thought. "Not really. I mean, unless her mom, by some miracle, shows up again, you're the one who will have to get her away long enough for whatever you have in mind."  
  
I groaned. "Why me?"  
  
She rolled her eyes. "Let's see. You're the big brother. She's the little sister. One. Two, I have the feeling that your parents wouldn't be the least surprised if you did something mean."  
  
Wait a minute. "Why wouldn't they?"  
  
She smiled and looked at Alexis and Laurel. "Earlier, before they were arguing about Nick or Justin or whoever, they were arguing who had the meaner brother."  
  
"They argue that much?"  
  
"They argue about pretty much everything. Laurel called me last night to ask me what color I liked more. Yellow or green. She said she and Alexis had made a bet."  
  
"What did you say?"  
  
"Nothing. I hung up."  
  
I laughed. Then I remembered. "To end this conversation on a gloomier note, Alexis told me at breakfast that she sneaked out the night when we... Well, you know."  
  
"So?"  
  
I made a face. "Remember the newspaper article? They're looking for kids. For us. We can tell everyone we went to the mall. Maybe they'll believe us, maybe they won't. But Alexis is the one who'll look the most suspicious. Anyone who sneaks out of the house, no matter what, looks suspicious."  
  
She nodded. "You have a point. And believe it or not, there are a few things that could happen here."  
  
"Such as?"   
  
"Well, in politics, things usually just blow over. Pass without causing that much damage. I'm not saying that's going to be the case here, but there are still things that could happen. Two. We could get caught."  
  
I made a face. "That sounds great. Tell you what, why don't we go with that one? It would certainly be a lot easier."  
  
"Or three. We could go and do the right thing and do what the alien said and blah, blah, blah."  
  
"'Blah, blah blah?'"  
  
She brushed a bit and smiled a crooked smile. "My dad says it a lot. Or at least he used to."  
  
"So, I guess, to begin with, what are we going to do about Alexis?"  
  
She thought a bit. "Well, the only thing I can think of doing is to wait until she can't come with us."  
  
I sighed. "You know, this is going to be hard even without a menacing little sister."  
  
Samantha laughed right as Alexis looked back at us and glared at me. "Hey, Samantha!"  
  
I heard her mutter "Uh-oh" and then shout "What!"  
  
"Come here. You still have to tell us which color you like more. Yellow or green."  
  
"They're both ugly."  
  
"Oh, come on." Alexis skipped back to where we were walking and grabbed Samantha's arm. I could have sworn her eyes looked huge for a second and before I could help it, I had started laughing. She and Alexis glared at me. I looked at them innocently.  
  
Hardy dropped back. "Good news."  
  
"About time."  
  
"When Alexis was dragging Samantha into the argument, and came back to get her, you know, Laurel told me that if we needed Alexis off our backs, she and Alexis would go off shopping and we would promise not to tell our parents. Laurel says Alexis will be glad to do it."  
  
"Great. Samantha and I didn't have a clue what to do."  
  
Hardy smiled and gave me a look as if he knew something I didn't. "I figured you two were trying to figure the iAlexis Angle/i out. All that worrying for nothing."  
  
I laughed. "Yeah. Nice name for it. 'The Alexis Angle.'"  
  
  
  
Chapter 11  
  
"Well, we know it works, so what do we do?" Samantha asked. She took another sip of her Coke.  
  
"Right now, we have a rough plan," I explained. "Laurel had a good idea in the beginning. We go on a spy mission, find out how powerful these Yeerk creatures are, than make our next move."  
  
"When?"  
  
"Maybe tonight. Maybe tomorrow. Should we vote?"  
  
Hardy shook his head. "No time. We're down to four people as it is. Samantha leaves in a few days. It's either now or never."  
  
"I can probably sneak out. After all, Alexis did."  
  
"Laurel and I can bust out, too. But, guys? I think we've forgotten one major point."  
  
Samantha and I looked at him. Once again, we were in the food court at the Falls while Laurel and Alexis shopped.  
  
Samantha and Hardy looked at each other in that strange way.  
  
"Uh-oh," Samantha muttered.  
  
"What?"  
  
Hardy pressed his lips together for a second. "Chris, we don't know where this so-called Yeerk pool is."  
  
"Well, the Yeerks have to return there every three days. I doubt they're on some sort of schedule. Just pick some people and follow them."  
  
Samantha rolled her eyes. "Yay. Sounds like fun. Select some John Does and follow them as... As animals, I guess."  
  
Hardy cut in. "You know what we'll have to do if we get away with this? One, we'll need some costumes, because I am not going to be wearing a leotard for boys or something. And we need a name."  
  
"A name?" I echoed.  
  
"Yeah. Like Superman of Batman. The Fantastic Four. The X-Men. Thor. Pick one."  
  
I rolled my eyes. "To return to the important issue at hand, is it going to be okay following around random people?" I looked at Samantha.  
  
She shrugged. "Hardy, why don't you ask Laurel if she has any ideas tonight, huh? She's come through so far."  
  
"Okay. I'll ask."  
  
  
  
iMarco  
  
I didn't like the barn anymore. Too many bad memories, for one thing. And I'd gotten sprayed by a skunk last week. I couldn't even stand the sight of tomatoes anymore.  
  
I sat on a bale of hay, far away from the not-so-defenseless animals. Everyone else was there, though Erek was out somewhere. We were just waiting for Cassie to get here, and then we could start arguing and plotting- I mean, discussing and planning.  
  
Cassie came into the barn, looking slightly struck. "They found them. The Chee found them," she said breathlessly.  
  
"Wow. Those guys are good," I said. "I knew they were good, I mean that they're fast. I like the service."  
  
Cassie shook her head. "They found them in the mall. They overheard a conversation about Yeerks and finding the Yeerk pool."  
  
"In the mall?" Rachel asked in disbelief. "Are those kids stupid or something?"  
  
Like us in more ways than one doesn't mean they're careful, Tobias told her quietly.  
  
"Yeah, or smart," Rachel said crossly. "At this rate, they won't be alive very long."  
  
"The Chee covered for them," Cassie said. "And they got a positive ID on one of the kids and are checking out the other two. Two are missing, though."  
  
Jake nodded. "That's okay. We'll follow the one they know for sure and that one will lead us to the others."  
  
I sighed. I didn't like that barn at all. Too many unpleasant memories./i  
  
  
  
  
  
Copyright 2001 


	6. Cameron Comes Back and Other Stuff Happe...

Chapter 12  
  
Alexis and I went straight home that night. She was going to tell Mom she had gone over to Laurel's and lost track of time. She seemed really glad that Laurel, formal goody-goody, wasn't obeying her mom and letting Hardy watch over them all the time.  
  
Around eleven o'clock that night, I got a weird craving for food. I looked under my bed first, but the only food there was a moldy hamburger and some melted lollipops Alexis had hidden under there.   
  
So I crept down to the kitchen, thinking ice cream. I got a bowl, a spoon, and dug out some cookies n' cream.   
  
Then I saw the light under the door of my dad's study. I could hear my parents talking about something.  
  
I guess it was for fun. You know how when you're young, you play those spy games with your friends, only because you want to see if you're going to get caught? Well, that was kind of like what I was doing. I half wish I hadn't even eavesdropped that night, although I now know it was for the best. I just crept up to their door, being as quiet as possible, and started listening.  
  
"Have they been caught yet?" It was the voice of my mother. Caught? Had who been caught?  
  
"No, they haven't been caught yet. You know that. Visser Three is about to pitch a first-class fit."  
  
My mom laughed. "He should know the Andalites are smarter than anyone. What has he been doing to help?"  
  
"Telling us what to do, that's what. It's been four days, and not even a clue."  
  
"They could be in human morph."  
  
"True. After all, Visser Three has a human morph, but remember how much trouble he had walking?"  
  
"The Andalites could have been mistaken for drunks."  
  
"We checked into that already. No sightings of a group of drunks anywhere in the area."  
  
"Think they could have built a ship and escaped? I think that has been done before."  
  
My dad started laughing, and something about the laughter seemed awfully familiar. "My, you're a stupid Yeerk, aren't you?"  
  
"It isn't my fault," my mom said softly. "My host doesn't know much about cars or anything like that."  
  
"Ah. Well, never mind. There is one clue."  
  
I heard somebody shift in a chair. Then my mom said excitedly. "Really? What is it?"  
  
"Our hosts' daughter, the one they named Alexis, she was absent at the time of the crash."  
  
"Yes, but so were all of the other human children."  
  
"We located those. They were at a mall called The Falls. They left, apparently, right before the ship crashed. And five children would take a while to even get across the street. Besides, they aren't allowed to go where the ship crashed. But the one called Alexis. She has no excuse."  
  
"So?"  
  
"We bring her to the renewal. We need something to show the Visser that we are making progress."  
  
"Perfect."  
  
I heard more shifting, then the sound of someone stretching and my mom yawning.   
  
"I hate these human hosts," she complained. "They always need food, they always need sleep, they need clothes, medication, homes. It's all just need, need, need."  
  
"Oh, stop complaining. It's better than being in the pool, isn't it?"  
  
"I suppose. This host needs sleep. Yours?"  
  
"I guess mine could use some."  
  
"Good."   
  
I heard footsteps coming across the carpet. I looked behind me. Nothing but carpet for about twenty feet. Except the closet. I ran as quietly as I could, trying not to spill the ice cream slosh. Most of the ice cream had already melted.  
  
I waited until I heard them pass and go upstairs until I went into the kitchen.  
  
I didn't feel like ice cream anymore. I put the bowl in the sink and rinsed it out. So my parents were Controllers. They were possessed by Yeerks. They thought Alexis knew about the Andalites. They didn't know how wrong they were.  
  
Cameron, Hardy, Laurel, Samantha, and I had left the mall right before the ship crashed. Hardy had wanted to watch a TV show. We probably would have talked, but we hadn't. We had broken the rules and gone into that area We were in the area by the time the ship crashed. We had seen everything. And we had been given the power to morph so we could fight.   
  
Alexis had been searching for us. No one had seen her. She knew she would be in trouble if someone who recognized her and knew our parents saw her. And now she was being blamed for everything. Everything.  
  
Chris? Hello?  
  
At first I thought it was the alien, then I thought it was Hardy and Laurel again. Then I hoped, just for one brief second that it was Cameron. I saw a small robin on the windowsill of the kitchen. I went over and opened the window a bit.  
  
Hey, it's Sam. We've got a clue. And some trouble.  
  
"Tell me about it."  
  
My grandparents are Controllers.  
  
"Oh yeah? Well, my parents are Controllers."  
  
She leaped on fingers and kind of nuzzled them. I'm sorry.  
  
"Oh, that isn't the end of it. My parents think that Alexis knows about the Andalites."  
  
She stopped nuzzling my fingers and looked up at me. Then we have to stop them.  
  
I shoved her onto the counter, more or less gently, and sank down beside her. I buried my head in my hands. "I don't know. I mean, Cameron, you know? We're best friends. We do everything together. And now that he isn't doing this, it just seems wrong, you know? And maybe he's right. I mean, we are just kids. We haven't even graduated yet." I buried my head in my hands even deeper.  
  
Chris? Why don't we get Cameron back in the game?  
  
"How the hell do you propose to do that?"  
  
Bribery, blackmail, persuasion, threats, anything it takes. You in? I didn't say anything. Chris, come on. Don't give me all that trash about it seeming wrong when your best friend isn't there with you and then the chance finally comes up so you can get him back and you just sit there like an idiot?  
  
"Thanks," I murmured. I think most of it was surprise. I mean, if it had been Laurel or Alexis, they would have told me to get over it. Hardy would have pretended to be hurt that he wasn't good enough. And I wouldn't have been able to admit it. You know, that I did actually need someone else. If you want to get really sentimental about it.  
  
"Wait, you have a bird morph, but what am I supposed to do?"  
  
Go as a dog.  
  
"Okay."  
  
A few minutes later, a dog ran on the streets. I hadn't been as freaked out by the changes as much this time, but they had happened in a different way. You know, this time I shrank first and was completely dog before the fur grew.  
  
So, what method should we use first? Samantha asked.  
  
Persuasion, I answered. We need to make him realize what's at stake. Emphasize on how my parents and your grandparents are Controllers and how they're trying to take Alexis.  
  
You have no clue how leaderly you just sounded.  
  
Well, I guess that's probably the reason why you guys made me the leader, huh? I meant to say it in a nicer way, but as it turned out, it came out like I was ticked off. Which I guess I kind of was.  
  
You know, you think it's a bad thing that this happened to us. It isn't. I mean, we could help people. We could save lives.  
  
Yeah, and get killed doing it, too. Last I checked, dead heroes didn't do much good after they're dead. There's Cameron's house.  
  
Cameron didn't live in the best part of town. This was actually the section with the most gangs and robberies. Not the nicest place to live, if you ask me, and I don't know why he does actually live there, but oh well.  
  
Cameron, you home?  
  
I saw a window open and Cameron's head pop out. He said something that I won't repeat.   
  
Now that isn't a very nice way to greet people, Samantha joked.  
  
Cameron got dressed and came out into the back yard, where we were waiting for him. "What the hell are you doing?" he hissed.  
  
Samantha, let me handle this. I took a breath, which came out sounding more like a pant, I guess. We need your help.  
  
Cameron's eyebrows went up a bit. "I said no."  
  
Yeah, well, we won't give up that easily. Listen, Cameron, I'm serious. My parents? They're these Yeerk things. They have Yeerks in their heads. And they think that Alexis knows something about the crash.  
  
Cameron looked at me. "I don't know. I mean, I want to live long enough to drive a car."  
  
I can already drive a truck, Samantha said. Unhelpfully.  
  
Cameron rolled his eyes. "You have a death wish, don't you Samantha? I mean, from the start, you were really into this. But what about the serious side of it all, huh? Ever think about that? We could die. You could die."  
  
We have the chance to help people. We can save Alexis for one thing. We could save the world. Ever think about that?  
  
Cameron looked away.  
  
Please Cameron, I begged. I know that it might be dangerous, but this is my family.  
  
And mine, Samantha said quietly.  
  
"Geez." Cameron shook his head. "Okay, I'll help. But just as long as it takes to get the families back or whatever. That's the deal."  
  
I could tell he wasn't happy. But oh, well. He was stuck now. Thanks man.  
  
We all went home and went to bed.  
  
  
  
iTobias  
  
I hate night. Owls are out, my eyesight isn't as good as it is in the day. Some people believe ghosts and goblins and vampires come out at night. There were too many reasons not to like the night, but that didn't stop me. No, I was a good little watchbird, doing as I was told and watching the boy Chris's house. I'd rather have been sleeping, but we all must make sacrifices, right?  
  
Finally, a small robin flew to a window. I perked up. Finally, some action. Robins aren't out during the day. Not if they're normal robins, at least. I watched as the robin fluttered around nervously- I wondered if it knew I was around, or if the person posing as the robin was nervous. Then a dog joined it. They started off together. I followed them.  
  
I didn't like the looks of this neighborhood. Marco had lived a few blocks away. The robin and dog had a talk with a boy who lived at a house with nothing but weeds growing in the yard. Then they all separated. The boy went back inside. The dog and the robin went their separate ways. I followed the robin to a house in on of the better neighborhoods and watched it fly into a window. Two more down, I thought to myself. Better than we were yesterday./i  
  
  
  
Chapter 13  
  
"Any ideas?" I asked.  
  
Once again, we were all sitting at the mall, in the Food Court. Alexis was at home, grounded. This time Cameron was with us, though. He was fidgeting, but besides that, he was okay.  
  
Laurel answered. "Spy."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Well, this renewal thing? We need to know when it is, don't we? We have to spy on them, and find an entrance. We find out when it is, and then get in there and take Alexis, your parents, and then grandma and grandpa."  
  
Samantha shrugged. "I'm free tonight. My grandparents are going out somewhere. They're taking some sort of special dinner for just the two of them.  
  
"Same here. My parents are going out too. They're taking Alexis out for some sort of surprise." I started slowing down and Samantha and I just kind of looked at each other.   
  
"We don't even have to bother to go on a spy mission," Samantha smiled.  
  
I got up and threw away our stuff in a hurry.  
  
"Hey! I wasn't through with that! What are you doing?" Laurel cried as I tossed out her nachos. "I wasn't through," she said again.  
  
"We have to get to the zoo. When are your grandparents leaving?" I asked Samantha.   
  
"Eight. The zoo?"  
  
"Yeah. We all have to acquire some things that can slide into places easily, and some animals that can do damage."  
  
Samantha grinned widely. "Cool."   
  
Hardy smiled. "Superheroes away," he said. Laurel laughed a bit nervously. Cameron groaned. I bit my lip and tried to figure out how to get to the zoo.  
  
  
  
  
Copyright 2001 


	7. The Allies Go to the Zoo and Rachel Wond...

Copyright 2001  
  
  
  
Chapter 14  
  
When we got off the bus at the zoo, it was obviously closed. The bus driver gave us a kind of funny look when we got off. "We're meeting friends here," I explained. He gave a slight nod and then drove away.  
  
We waited until he was out of sight before we started talking.   
  
"So now what? I mean, the zoo's closed. We can't get in. I guess we'll have to wait here for the next bus," Cameron said, sounding a bit glad. I grabbed his arm as he tried to walk by me.  
  
"Not so fast. We're sneaking in."  
  
"Man," he whined.  
  
"We go about a block down, and then we help each other sneak over."  
  
"Can I go last?" Cameron asked excitedly.  
  
"Nope. You're going first."  
  
"Crap."  
  
I saw Laurel giggle nervously again. "What's so funny?" Cameron snapped.  
  
Laurel stopped giggling and shrugged.  
  
"Yeah. Thought so," Cameron said in his tough voice.  
  
We walked the block down, and then looked around us to make sure no one was following. Cameron started imitating Bugs Bunny. "Do you ever get the feeling that you're being... Watched?"  
  
We laughed.  
  
We backed up to the fenced and I cupped my hands.   
  
"You sure about this man? There isn't a pit of hungry bears or something on the other side, right?" he asked.  
  
"Just make it fast."  
  
Cameron shook his head. He placed his foot in my hands and scrambled over the wall. When he was on the ground on the other side, he turned to face us and said, "You know, it's never a good sign when someone doesn't answer your question of 'You sure about this?' Not to mention the question about being able to study Yogi's insides."  
  
He looked at me, only half joking. The others went over. I climbed up the fence the hard way. You know what the hard way is? Climbing over a ten foot fence without help.  
  
"No bears," Cameron said pleasantly when I reached the other side.  
  
"What now?" Laurel asked.  
  
Samantha started digging through her purse. she took out a small tour book and flipped to a page. "My Grandmommy got me this. And... Bingo. A map. That way."  
  
We went and finally found a path. Fortunately, we were in the part where the cages didn't start for maybe another twenty feet.   
  
We walked around for a while. See, the cages are attached to this bigger building, I guess, so people don't have to go from cage to cage in hot weather. We watched for a sign or a door.  
  
Finally, Laurel said, "Gee, I wonder what that sign there about no trespassing beyond this point is about?"  
  
"Shall we find out?" I asked courteously. I opened the door, looked around briefly, and then let Laurel go in.  
  
"All right, let's get ready to kick some butt," Hardy said, punching the air.  
  
It was different when we all went inside. We were in a long corridor, with dim lights, the warehouse kind, over our heads. I started leading the way down.  
  
"So? What now?" Cameron asked Samantha.  
  
"Um, in there are some... monkeys." She pointed to a door.  
  
"Monkeys? Coooooool." Hardy went over and opened the door. "CRAP!" We all jumped back. Hardy slammed the door.  
  
"Th- Th- That was a cougar," Cameron stammered.  
  
Samantha shrugged. "So I guess the map was wrong." Cameron glared at her. "What?! Besides, it was just a cougar."  
  
"Just a cougar. Right. JUST a cougar? Are you nuts?"  
  
Samantha shook her head slightly. "Poor, poor Cameron. Cougars don't kill people. Not unless they have to." She walked over to the door again and opened it.  
  
"Are you sure you want to- Oh," Cameron looked kind of embarrassed. There was a cage separating us from the cougar.   
  
Samantha smiled. "Hey, girl. Or boy. May I?" Samantha stuck her hand through the bars and let the mountain lion sniff them. Then, the cougar rubbed up against her hand. Suddenly, the cougar's eyes went kind of blank. Hardy started counting down. Eventually, we all joined in. "10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1." The fog lifted from the cougar's eyes and Samantha scratched it behind its ears.  
  
"Okay? Who's next?" I asked.   
  
"ME! ME! ME!" Laurel waved her hand in the air wildly.   
  
"Okay. Laurel, why don't you take the honors?" She looked at me and rolled her eyes while Laurel bent down next to the cougar and stuck her hand through the bars.   
  
"Hello Mr. Kitty." Hardy, Cameron, Samantha, and I looked at each other. We didn't do the countdown when the cat's eyes glazed over.   
  
Laurel looked hurt when she got up.   
  
"Anybody else want the cougar?" I asked.  
  
Cameron shook his head, and we could all tell he meant it.  
  
Meanwhile, Hardy wandered down the hall and grabbed another doorknob. "I wonder what's behind door number two?" he wondered aloud.  
  
He went inside and a second later, we looked and saw that he was acquiring a gorilla. "Always loved those things," he said.  
  
"Any other takers?" I asked.  
  
Cameron shook his head. So did everyone else.   
  
"Okay."  
  
"Hey! You!"  
  
We looked at each other and then looked down the hall.   
  
"Oh, this isn't good," Hardy said.  
  
There were two security guards. And they were running towards us.   
  
"I think this means we should run," I said slowly. We ran. Samantha, Hardy, and Laurel were closer to the front. They took a right. Cameron and I took a left.  
  
"Why do they always chase you?" Cameron panted.  
  
"That's rude," I commented.  
  
"It was supposed to be."  
  
Suddenly, one of the guards tackled me. I guess the other guard had gone off after the others. Cameron looked at me, then down the corridor, then at the guard.  
  
"HELLO!" I shouted at him.  
  
Cameron shrugged and apparently decided on what he wanted to do. He kicked the guard until the guard rolled off me, then kicked him square in the stomach.  
  
"Come on," I told him.  
  
We ran down the corridor, with the guard falling behind. With the luck I'd been having lately, we ran into another fork. This time it was a bit better, though. To the right was a sign saying "Exit." We went that way.  
  
"Wait!" I grabbed Cameron's arm.  
  
"What?" he snapped.  
  
"He'll be expecting that. We'll wait until he passes." I pulled him through another door and pressed my ear up against the door, trying to hear the guard.   
  
"Hey, genius," Cameron sneered rudely.  
  
"What," I said tiredly. I briefly thought about how much I wanted my best friend Cameron back.  
  
"Look where we are."  
  
I looked. There weren't any cages. This was a big natural habitat. With two Grizzly Bears.  
  
Believe me. That's capitalized for a reason.  
  
I cussed.  
  
"And it sinks in," Cameron said, imitating some sort of announcer.  
  
"Why don't you just shut up?" I asked. "I mean, cut it out. You used to be my best friend and all, but now you're pushing it."  
  
"What are you going to do? You haven't even fought before!"  
  
"Oh, and you have?"  
  
"THAT'S MY POINT!"  
  
The male grizzly woke up.  
  
Cameron and I looked up as it stood over us.  
  
Cameron slowly said, "Oops. I think we woke up Yogi. And I think this is the evil Yogi. Smoky the Bear. Think this qualifies as a Smoky the Bear?"  
  
I nodded.   
  
"Okay. Let's try this," Cameron said, looking the bear in the eye. I wondered if he knew that was dangerous or not. He walked right up to it and slapped his hand on its stomach. The bear grew calm. As soon as it did, he got away from it. "Now can we get out of here?"  
  
I nodded. We left as fast as we could. However, I noticed something really weird while we were running. There were a bunch of hawks and other birds of prey sitting in a single tree. I could have sworn all of them were staring at us.  
  
  
  
iRachel  
  
This was almost too much. We'd overheard them in the mall making plans to come here. They could at least try to be more discreet. We'd have to talk to them about that. But now it was split as we'd been split, and the leader and best friend were once again in a predator's cage. The only thing was that this was a bear, and the zoo was closed. There were too many similarities. Not for the first time did I find myself wondering what the Ellimist was truly up to. This seemed like he was bending the rules way too much. And Crayak was letting him.  
  
Why?/i  
  
  
Chapter 15  
  
We met up with the others as soon as we could. As it turned out, a slow, fat guard had chased them. They had left and then reentered the building without much trouble. They each had about ten morphs by the time we caught up with them.   
  
I had one. Cameron had one. Would it be enough?  
  
There wasn't time to see. It was almost eight.  
  
We had a vague and sketchy plan. Cameron was spending the night with me, and Hardy and Laurel were staying at their grandparents'. As soon as my parents and their grandparents left, we would follow them to what was hopefully the Yeerk pool. Then we would get Alexis out and leave.  
  
We managed to catch the same bus we had come on in time.  
  
"What happened to your friends?" the driver asked.  
  
"They were no-shows," I told him. Kind of true.  
  
Cameron and I went to my house.   
  
My parents had ordered pizza for us. Meanwhile, Alexis was hopping up and down, telling me that our parents had a surprise for her and not for me. About how special she was.  
  
Great surprise  
  
Of course, I had to act like the big brother that didn't care. I had to say I was happy for her when my mom came.  
  
You have no idea what it's like.  
  
One night, I had been given the chance to fight by some sort of really, really weird alien before I even knew if aliens existed. Then I found out I was going to have to fight my parents. And now I had to save my sister before she became one of them. My whole family might become Controllers. And me? I was going to have to fight them.  
  
"You have no idea how much junk food I have eaten in the past week," Cameron said, digging into his pizza.  
  
I had a feeling that he was trying to distract me.  
  
"I bet I've eaten more."  
  
"How much you want to bet?"  
  
I dug in my pockets. "I have ten cents and a melted Hershey's kiss."  
  
"Okay, I think I'll stick with the ten cents."  
  
It was about six thirty.  
  
We argued like we had just a week before, picked on Alexis, played Nintendo 64.   
  
My parents and Alexis left way before I was ready. 


	8. A Merry Field Trip to the Yeerk Pool and...

Copyright 2001  
  
  
Chapter 16  
  
At around seven o'clock, my parents left with Alexis. Cameron and I looked at each other.  
  
"So? Are we going, or are we just going to sit here and think about it?"  
  
I nodded.  
  
My parents were walking. I didn't comment on it, though. I mean, why would I?  
  
After the door closed, Cameron and I got up slowly. We watched through the curtains until they were out of sight.   
  
"Come on," I said silently. I really didn't want to do this. I really didn't want to do this. For some reason I felt as if I were betraying them.  
  
As soon a they left around the corner, Cameron pulled my hand. I tried not to go with him, part of me realizing that I didn't want him to be holding my hand. But then again, I didn't want to do anything, and I think Cameron knew that. I just wanted to crawl and hide under a rock somewhere and let the world go on without me. It could do that. So why wouldn't it?  
  
We followed my parents for what seemed like a mile, but no matter how far back we walked, we could still hear Alexis asking impatiently, "Are we there yet?"  
  
Cameron looked at me and rolled his eyes.  
  
My parents finally walked to where they wanted to go. The library.  
  
Alexis looked up. "The library? What's in here?" I could tell she was still hoping for some great gift or something, but I could hear the disappointment in her voice from back there.  
  
Cameron and I looked at each other. Why would the Yeerks have an entrance in the library? No one ever went there. Besides, the library was closed.  
  
My parents went inside. We followed.  
  
* * *  
  
"Any bright ideas now?" Cameron asked dryly.  
  
I looked at the floor, where there was now a dark stairway. Alexis had finally caught on that something weird was going on. I could hear her screaming all the way from here. I shrugged. "We follow."  
  
I took a step down through the gaping hole. Cameron grabbed my arm. "Man, do you know what's down there? We don't even know if the others have gotten there yet."  
  
I ripped my arm out of his grip. "You don't get it. This is my family. My entire family is going down there. If I let this happen, what would happen? I wouldn't be able to look myself in the mirror. I wouldn't be able to trust my own parents. My own sister. I want to trust my family. I want to be able to trust them."  
  
Cameron sighed. "Fine."  
  
I nodded and took another step down. Cameron pulled on my arm again. I flew backwards and landed on the ground, hard.  
  
"What did you do that for?!" I shouted at him.  
  
He shook his head at me and looked at the ground. I looked too. The carpet was neatly in place. There wasn't any hole in the ground anymore. I realized what had happened. Cameron had pulled me out of the doorway before it closed.  
  
"Thanks," I told him. I looked at Cameron a bit harder. He was sweating and staring and the spot on the floor where the hole had been in shock.  
  
He caught me staring at him and shook his head. "I guess I had still been hoping that none of this was real," he told me. "But my BO suggests otherwise."  
  
We grinned and got up.  
  
Suddenly, I heard voices coming our way. I pulled Cameron behind a bookcase and put a finger over my mouth. He nodded.  
  
A few moments later, peeking between the books and metal of the bookcase, we saw three teenage kids come in. It took me a few moments, but I finally realized that one of them was the captain of the basketball team. One of the others had quit a while ago. The third guy I didn't recognize.  
  
They pulled a book halfway out of the shelf and waited. I bent down close to the floor and looked under the bookcase. Sure enough, there was that same gaping hole in the floor. I stood up and looked at Cameron. He bent down and looked. I saw his mouth drop. He stood up again.  
  
A few seconds later, the three boys disappeared and the hole closed again. Cameron and I walked around the edge of the bookcase again and stared at the empty space in front of us. Cameron looked at the shelves of books and ran his hand across the spines. The book had slipped back into place.  
  
"Which one?" he asked.  
  
I shrugged. "Try them," I said.  
  
He pulled on one; it slid out easily. "This one?" he muttered to himself. "No. Can't be. The other one stayed on the shelf." He pulled another one out. "Tolstoy. You've got to be kidding me. Dead guys. They write the worst-" He paused. "'War and Peace?' Maybe..."  
  
He pulled on it. "It's stuck!" He grabbed the binding and pulled harder. "Is that hole opening yet?"  
  
I shook my head. Cameron cussed.  
  
"Wait a minute," he finally said after a few more minutes of trying. "There's a button or something under here."  
  
"Push it," I urged.  
  
Cameron obeyed.  
  
Suddenly, the floor opened up to reveal a huge hole in the floor.   
  
"I hope we're not too late," I muttered.  
  
Cameron shook his head in pity. "I hate big brothers."  
  
  
  
Chapter 17  
  
We started walking down the stairs. After a while, the light from the library completely disappeared and another dim light took its place. When we were halfway down, Cameron poked me in the side. "Get a load of the walls," he said.  
  
I looked. They were completely stone.  
  
"Can you imagine how hard it must have been to do this? How long it must have taken? What do you think they used?" Cameron droned on.  
  
I looked at him. "Why are you so interested in stone walls?"  
  
Cameron shrugged.  
  
We kept walking down. "This place must be about a mile under the city," I muttered.  
  
We reached the bottom of the stairs. "Dude," Cameron told me, "this place is entirely under the city."  
  
In front of us was an entire cave that must have been twice the size of those mammoth caves I had heard of while snoozing in one of my classes.  
  
"Let's find the others," I said as if I knew what I was doing.  
  
"If they're here," Cameron added. He looked at me. "Hope they didn't chicken out."  
  
I shook my head, even though I was thinking the exact same thing. "They wouldn't do that. They'll be here."  
  
From the look Cameron gave me, I could tell he didn't believe me.  
  
Something tapped me on the shoulder. "Yah!" I half shouted. Cameron cupped his hand over my mouth, trying to make sure I shut up. Hardy looked around to make sure that no one else had seen. After I had calmed down, they let me go. I turned around and saw Samantha standing, shaking her head at me with her hands on her hips.  
  
"What?" I asked.  
  
"Jumpy?" she shot back.  
  
"A bit," I admitted.  
  
"Hello," Cameron cut in. "We hate to interrupt the newly forming soap opera, but we have a show of its own going on. If you would be so kind as to check out center stage..."  
  
I looked to the center of the cavern we were in.  
  
My parents were standing there with Alexis between them. She was crying, and they had to work hard to keep her from falling on her knees. Visser Three was standing in front of her.  
  
So. You are the Andalite scum.  
  
"What?" Alexis wailed. "What in the world is Andalite scum?" She sniffled. I could hear it all the way from where we were standing.  
  
Then you must work with them.  
  
"Work with who?" Alexis shouted, frantic. "I don't work! Ask my mother! Mom- Mom, tell them." She looked to my mom, who was holding her left arm. Mom looked indecisive and then seemed to make up her mind.  
  
"It is true, Visser. The girl is the laziest human there is."  
  
My dad quickly tried to take over. "But, sir, perhaps she could be used to find the bandits?"  
  
Visser Three seemed to be thinking. No, he finally said. No. She is useless to us. I'll kill her.  
  
I almost screamed, and Cameron had to clamp his hand over my mouth again.  
  
Samantha tapped us on the shoulders. "Morph," she whispered.  
  
"Morph?" Cameron echoed. We realized that he hadn't even tried it out yet. "Crap," he said slowly.  
  
Hardy and Laurel were already changing. Samantha quickly followed suit.  
  
A few seconds later, a gorilla, a rhinoceros, and a cougar raced into the crowd.  
  
So did another creature looking remarkably like Visser Three, a hawk, a tiger, a wolf, another gorilla, and an elephant.  
  
What the- I heard Hardy ask.  
  
"Chris," Cameron said as he turned to me. "How do you do this morphing thing?"  
  
"Close your eyes. Think about the animal." Cameron closed his eyes. "Think about what it's like to become the animal. And then, you'll be the animal."  
  
"That's it?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"All right." He started to concentrate. "Hey, wait a minute," he said as he opened his eyes again. "What are you going to do?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"What animal are you going to be?"  
  
I thought. I had a dog, and- And nothing else? I tried to remember if I had acquired anything else. No, just a dog. "I can't. Unless a dog can do something."  
  
Cameron grinned at me. "Knew you would chicken out somehow."  
  
"I didn't chicken out!" I hissed back. "If you had let me get some bear-"  
  
I stopped when I realized Cameron wasn't listening. I quickly moved away as he started to change.  
  
A few seconds later, there was a huge grizzly bear standing in front of me. It roared.  
  
I remembered to when I had first turned into Presley. I had lost it for a long time. But that was a dog- not a bear. Would there be anything different?  
  
Cameron charged for me. Apparently there wasn't any difference.  
  
  
  
iAx  
  
As the others so often said, "Here we go again." This time I felt a bit better about fighting. Even if they were inexperienced, we still had new allies fighting alongside us. I went forward to Visser Three. This was always my job. Hold off Visser Three as best I could, since Prince Jake said I was the only one who could, and, if I was lucky, avenge my brother Elfangor's death.  
  
Around me the battle raged, animals and hosts and free hosts who had been set loose to give them a chance all running around in chaos. I approached Visser Three calmly. Today might be the day./i 


	9. Chris Becomes a Controller, Hardy Punche...

Copyright 2001  
  
  
  
  
Chapter 18  
  
A wolf knocked me down and to the ground. I fell and gasped for breath. The wind had been knocked out of me.  
  
What were you thinking? the wolf asked me. When a bear charges, you GET OUT OF THE WAY!  
  
"Yeah," I muttered. "I'll have to remember that."  
  
The wolf jumped off of me and faced the bear. Kid, wake up. The bear started to charge the wolf. As if it did this everyday, the wolf charged also and leaped onto Cameron. It bit into his neck.  
  
AAHHHHH!!! Cameron shouted.  
  
The wolf jumped off. That's better. Amateurs.  
  
Cameron blinked. What happened?  
  
"You lost control," I explained. "Nothing happened though, so don't worry."  
  
Nothing happened? I almost killed you!  
  
"But you didn't," I pointed out.  
  
We stood there for a few seconds, and Cameron took out two Controllers who were pointing gun-like things in his direction.  
  
I thought fast. We'd found another group of people who could morph. People? What if they were Andalites? Or Taxxons? Could Taxxons morph? I looked around the Yeerk Pool, where none of the Taxxons had morphed. It they had been able to morph, they would have done it by now. But there was one other thing I had to take care of. Visser Three had only been temporarily distracted by the onrush of other animals. I made my way to Alexis.  
  
About halfway there, I realized that she wasn't there any more. I looked around. There! My parents were dragging her down some sort of tunnel. I sped after them.  
  
"NO!" Alexis screamed. "Dad! Please!"  
  
I sped up. Something stepped into my path. I bounced off and fell on the floor. I looked up. Was it just me, or was the world moving more than it should have been? No, wait. That was my eyes. I brought them back into focus and looked at what had hit me.  
  
A Hork-Bajir.  
  
Without saying a word, it stooped down and picked me up. I tried to kick him.  
  
Hold on, Chris. I looked around. There was a cougar speeding towards us. Besides a few minor cuts, Samantha seemed fine.  
  
Jerks. Did you know that these guys actually tried to cut me?  
  
She jumped on the Hork-Bajir from the side. We went down, and I landed on my shoulder. I rolled away.  
  
Take that! Samantha shouted. And that! And take this one for good measure!  
  
"I'm okay," I told her.  
  
She looked at me and then back to the Hork-Bajir who had passed out on the floor. Lost myself, I guess.  
  
I didn't say anything. I'd lost myself before, but when I had, I hadn't been able to even remember the human language.  
  
"I need to get Alexis," I said.  
  
Behind you! Samantha shouted at me.  
  
I turned. There were two more Hork-Bajir behind me.  
  
Samantha yelled behind me. It was the closest I ever heard her come to a scream. I turned and looked. More Hork-Bajir were coming from that way.  
  
They were surrounding us.  
  
We're going to have to run for it, Samantha said.  
  
I nodded.  
  
You may have to morph.  
  
I shook my head. "Can't. All I have is a dog. Besides. There are witnesses."  
  
Samantha cussed. Cameron! she shouted. Hardy! Laurel! We really, REALLY need you guys over here.  
  
I felt something wrap around my waist.  
  
NO! Samantha screamed. I stared at her. She actually screamed? She jumped on the Hork-Bajir that had me. Let go of him! she yelled. Guys! NOW! Another Hork-Bajir came up behind her and hit her in the back with one of its blades. This time, she full-out screamed. She turned on the Hork-Bajir. NEVER HIT ME! she yelled. Then, her eyes went completely blank. I knew right away that she had lost control.  
  
She leaped for something- I'm still not sure what. The Hork-Bajir had turned around. All I saw was where he was headed.  
  
The Yeerk pool.  
  
I opened my mouth to shout for help. If they got a Yeerk in my head- if they found out everything I knew- we were all dead. Except I couldn't shout out any names. If I did that, they would know everyone anyway, and if the others got me out of here without a Yeerk as a slave driver, then we were still dead.  
  
"Bandits!" I shouted instead. Crazy. Why did Visser Three call them bandits anyway? Us. We hadn't stolen anything. We hadn't even done anything to him... yet.  
  
"Any bandits want to help me out here?!" I screamed out at the top of my lungs.  
  
Coming, man. I looked and saw Cameron hobbling towards me. One of his paws was nearly cut off, and his eyes were out of focus.  
  
Forget it, Cameron. You can't do anything. Get out of here. Laurel didn't look much different than from when she came in. Big and ugly. Just joking. Really, she had maybe two scratches on her.  
  
The Hork-Bajir started sprinting. Now I could see everything- or at least everything about the pool. Laurel was sprinting behind it, but I knew she wouldn't catch up in time. Oh, God. Everything. That pool. When I got to that pool, everything was going to be over. My family. My friends. Our entire world! And it was all because of me, too. I hadn't had enough morphs. Oh, God. It was all because of me. My fault. Me. The entire destruction of the world was only ten feet away. Nine... Eight... Seven... Six-  
  
I don't think so, said the elephant as it butted the Hork-Bajir. The Hork-Bajir stumbled. We were only five feet from the pool. Desperately, the Hork-Bajir threw me. Was he crazy?! I could hit the wall and bust my skull open! But if it was my death to the destruction of the world, wouldn't my death be better? Then everyone could keep making changes, fighting.  
  
I landed with a splash. I surfaced as fast as I could, gasping for breath. It was hard to swim in this stuff. It was... heavy. There was stuff, besides the Yeerks, swimming around in it. I tried to swim to a wall to haul myself out.  
  
One hand up. Two. Head. Hork-Bajir right in front of me, tapping its fingers patiently.  
  
"Oops," I said. "Guess I took a wrong turn."  
  
I dropped back into the pool, with every intention of swimming across to the other side.  
  
The Hork-Bajir simply leaned over the edge of the pool, grabbed my hair, and pushed me down.  
  
I closed my eyes and tried to shout out for help. My mouth filled with pool water- not the kind with chlorine. I tried to spit it out without having to breathe any water in.  
  
I felt Yeerks swimming around me. They were hitting my entire body softly. One swam under my shirt. I splashed around, trying to hit them and keep them away from me, but there were too many of them! Or at least it seemed that way. Some of the things I hit were smaller than the larger, squishier things. The nutrients, I remembered. The Andalite had said that. But the Yeerks... There were too many of them! I couldn't keep fighting them off! I couldn't even see what I was hitting.  
  
Another arm reached down and grabbed my arms. I struggled some more.  
  
Chris, hold on, man. Hardy's coming to the rescue. Regular all-around super-hero. Just hold on.  
  
Something hit my ear. It kept hitting my earlobe for a while, and then it found where it wanted to go.  
  
Swallow the water, I told myself. Just swallow it. You can't let them catch you.  
  
Under the water, I screamed. The Yeerk was crawling into my ear, and it hurt like sticking your arm through the blades of a lawnmower- with the lawnmower turned on.  
  
God, I thought. GodGodGodGod.  
  
Something lifted me out of the water. The Hork-Bajir, I guess. I couldn't focus. I felt the water-like stuff dripping down and off and through my clothes. The Yeerk that had been in my shirt slid out. I opened my eyes, trying to make the world still again.  
  
There was a gorilla standing in front of me, holding the Hork-Bajir like a doll.  
  
"Thanks, man," I told Hardy.  
  
Suddenly, the gorilla punched me right under the jaw. I went down. I think I might have flown first, but I really don't remember. I looked back at the gorilla. Okay, so it wasn't Hardy. I opened my mouth to say so, but I passed out before I could say a thing.  
  
  
  
Chapter 19  
  
Hardy  
  
I looked at Chris. I didn't have a doubt as to whether or not he'd have a headache tomorrow.  
  
I ran, or technically waddled, since gorillas really can't run that well, up to the other gorilla.  
  
What the hell did you do that for? I asked him.  
  
He's one of them, now, the gorilla said as if I should know that already. He's a Controller.  
  
So? That's no reason to knock him one.  
  
It's a very good reason to 'knock him one'- unless you want him to shout out who you are.  
  
I stood there for a few moments. It did make sense. Chris could have gotten us killed if he were a Controller.  
  
Keep him someplace for three days. That'll kill the Yeerk.  
  
You're actually helping us? I asked, slightly shocked.  
  
The gorilla looked at me like I was an idiot. Yeah. You know, I mean, if you guys get turned into Controllers, we're going to have our hands full.  
  
Yeah.  
  
Rookies. The gorilla started walking away.  
  
Wait! I called after him.  
  
He turned around.  
  
Honor calls for me to do something real fast. I jumped on him and punched him in the jaw. I got off of him and waited while he clambered to his feet. Don't hit him again, I said simply. I started walking off to get Chris. Oh. And another thing. Don't call us rookies.  
  
I picked up Chris and started walking out. We hadn't been able to get Alexis, but that was too tough. I wasn't going to risk my neck like Chris had. I didn't want to become a Controller. We'd just have to wait for some other time to help his little sister. He'd nearly gotten us all killed.  
  
Laurel, Cameron, Sam: Come on.  
  
Where's Alexis? Laurel asked as she galloped over. I think galloping is the right term.  
  
She's one of them now, I think. Chris is to.  
  
What? Sam asked, shoving her way. I don't- She saw Chris and blinked a few times. But-  
  
I shrugged. One of them knocked him out. Sam turned and looked like she was about to murder someone.  
  
Cameron waddled over. Hey, I'm here too, gorgeous.  
  
Sam hissed. You're okay, I guess.  
  
Yeah. Okay, and in serious need of a beer or something. I've never felt like I wanted to get drunk, but this is the time.  
  
Oh, please, Sam begged. Kill off the few brain cells you have left. Please- I get your stereo, by the way.  
  
I get his room! Laurel shouted. She raced ahead, paving the way for us.  
  
I quickly followed her, Chris in my arm and buried by my hair. As Cameron put it later, I was "One freaky and hairy creature."  
  
Cameron and Sam came last, shoving off anyone who wanted to pick a fight with us as we left.  
  
Let's not do this again, Cameron said.  
  
Agreed, Sam said.  
  
You mean you are actually saying you DON'T want to go on a suicide mission?  
  
Sam made a shrugging motion. Well, it's a definite turn-on, but we got taken- Well, we sucked.  
  
I hear you on that one.  
  
I mean, Chris didn't even have any appropriate morphs. You only had one. I'd hate to think what might have happened if those others hadn't shown up.  
  
Well, you lost control of the cougar, just so you know.  
  
I did? Silence.  
  
Yep. I'm guessing that's as close as I'll ever get to having your drool on me, huh?  
  
I didn't hurt you, did you?  
  
Cameron did a bear's version of a shrug. No. Actually, I enjoyed having you drool on me.  
  
Don't get any ideas, buster.  
  
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. Chris is your man.  
  
Silence. Huh?  
  
Oh, come on. It's obvious. You two have liked each other since you two met. Don't tell me you haven't noticed...  
  
It IS kind of obvious, Laurel agreed. I thought you two knew.  
  
Guys, I ordered. Later. We have to keep Chris someplace safe for three days, remember?  
  
How'd you find that out? Sam demanded.  
  
The other gorilla told me before I jumped him.  
  
You jumped him? Sam shouted. Still, she seemed kind of pleased.  
  
Yeah. I don't think we can trust him, though.  
  
Better safe than sorry, Laurel said.  
  
We went up the stairs in silence. As we went out, Laurel looked up at a piece of machinery in the doorway. It looked as if it had blown a fuse. What's that thing? she wondered.  
  
Who cares? Sam said crossly. Let's just get out of here. A few seconds later, we heard her ask Cameron, If you knew that Chris and I like each other, why are you hitting on his girl?  
  
  
  
iMarco  
  
The kid had punched me. Actually punched me. For protecting him. I'd only been trying to help!  
  
I turned and hit a Hork-Bajir as Jake gave the order to bail. I felt almost like laughing. I would have done the same thing in his position, standing up for myself and my friends. The Ellimist was right. We were a lot like them./i  
  
  
  
  
Chapter 20  
  
Chris  
  
Yep. I stayed for three days with that thing in my head. Cameron had found a spot in a ditch. Kind of like this hollowed-out room where erosion had made a little cave. I didn't ask how he had found it. The others stayed with me a lot. I think sometimes it was to make sure I didn't get away, but then I think that maybe it was also just to be with me. I don't know. Maybe both. I've forgotten most of that time. I've purposely shoved it to the back of my mind. I couldn't control myself while it was in my head. I said things, but it wasn't me who said them. I was afraid that maybe I would say something like "Get me something sharp," and the guys would get it for me. They had tied me up with shoelaces. Once, I morphed to Presley, but that didn't go over too well. Hardy had been on watch and brought a leash for his dog. It was waiting there, all ready for him to use.  
  
I did get food though. Real gourmet stuff. Samantha brought me the stuff her grandparents had made since there were always plenty of leftovers. She was the one who was on guard the most. Probably because the others had school during the day and she could sneak out at night. She got me almost everything I asked for, as long as it was reasonable.  
  
It was like that for three days. It was nice, you know, the part where I saw how much they cared about me and all. The first night, I supposedly spent the night with Cameron, and then I ran into Hardy at the mall and spent the night with him, and then Sam, Cameron, and Hardy, and I had hung out really late so the third night I just went home with Cameron again.  
  
On the other hand, it was scary. I couldn't control what I did with my hands or my voice. I couldn't tell my eyes where to go, or get my feet to stop kicking people when they came close. Most of all, there was this voice in my head; all it did was laugh at me.  
  
On the third day, it started to give up. It let Samantha get close enough to hold my hand, and I swear it even squeezed back. Samantha claimed that she didn't know. It also started talking to me that day, as if I were some sort of journal or something.  
  
"We've been trying to get this world for nearly four years," it said once. "The Andalite bandits kept stopping us from total domination though. And now, if they team up with you, then it will be over for the Yeerks."  
  
"Those are Andalite bandits?" I asked. I didn't have to say anything out loud; the thing had bragged about its power to read minds.  
  
"There's speculation about whether or not they are truly Andalites. Knowing what you know, I'd say they aren't. But Visser Three..." The Yeerk laughed. "The Visser is too ignorant. He believes that they are Andalites. I'm sorry that I will not see him die."  
  
"You want to see your own leader die?" I asked. I didn't care about what was going on, really; I'd seen enough war movies to know that you don't hate your superior enough to want to see them die.  
  
"You don't know Visser Three," the Yeerk said carelessly, picking out some memories of movies I'd seen and watching them. "You have so many things on this planet," it told me. "I regret that I won't see them. But even your memories- You remember bright colors, loud sounds, smells, taste, everything!" It gave a sort of happy sigh. "You know, if I weren't such an upright Yeerk, I'd tell you about the new plan to destroy the humans. Make them slaves."  
  
I settled back in my mind. I hadn't been expecting him to tell me.  
  
"But then again, I never was a very upright Yeerk."  
  
I was suddenly at full attention.  
  
"It isn't much of a plan, if you ask me. I could've come up with a better one."  
  
"I'm sure," I agreed, trying to keep the sarcasm out of my voice.  
  
"I'm not kidding," the Yeerk insisted. "I could come up with plans that would blow Visser Three out of the water- the jerk. I could- If they would just give me the chance. I was going to get revenge on the Visser eventually. You know, kill him, make it look like he had missed his feeding by an accident- or even better, make it look like a suicide. That would have been good." He sighed dreamily. "But I guess I'll just have to settle on you, kid."  
  
"Kid?"  
  
"Whatever. Look, they're going to start taking kids at young ages. Possibly as soon as they're born. Make them grow up thinking that slavery is the only thing in the world. Of course, I don't know when they'll start. Visser Three still thinks that Yeerks should only take people of value. Oh well."  
  
"That's the plan?" I asked.  
  
"Pretty much. Seen any good movies lately?" The Yeerk dug through my memories and found one. "You like 'The Simpsons?' Not really a movie, I guess, but oh well." I started seeing episodes of Bart Simpson, Homer, Marge, Maggie, and Lisa flash before my eyes. 


	10. Sam Goes Home, the Anis Chill Out at the...

Copyright 2001  
  
  
  
  
Chapter 21  
  
"There you are," Alexis said as I walked through the door. "I'd almost forgotten what you looked like. But you're ugly as ever."  
  
"I know how you feel," I agreed. I had just come back from Taco Bell with the others. "I hadn't seen you in so long I was beginning to picture you as being human."  
  
"Ha ha. Not funny."  
  
I grinned at her. It was hard to grin at her. I knew I had let her down. I wanted to run up to her and tell her everything. I wanted to kill the Yeerk inside her. I wanted- No, I couldn't do any of that. I wasn't stupid. My entire family was full of slaves.  
  
But I could still fight. More than that, I was actually alive. That was the best thing. We all were. And I had even been told that there were others like us and that Hardy had apparently tackled on of them. The others seemed kind of pleased.  
  
"I call the wolf," Cameron had said. "No one calls me an amateur and gets away with it."  
  
Samantha had shrugged. "Whatever. I'll probably be going home. Back to my old, boring life."  
  
"At least you'll be able to be different animals," Laurel said.  
  
Samantha had laughed. "It loses its attraction when you don't really have someone to share it with."  
  
Cameron, Hardy, and Laurel and immediately started to whistle. "I don't mean that," Samantha had said.  
  
Cameron had started laughing, but he was still trying to whistle at the same time. He ended up having a choking fit and Samantha gladly slapped him on his back, making him fall out of his chair.  
  
"I'm not even jealous of you, man," Cameron had said.  
  
"What?"  
  
Hardy and Laurel had started laughing insanely. Cameron had scooted away from Samantha before he started laughing. Samantha was blushing.  
  
"What?" I asked again. Then I had caught on. "Oh... Oh no..."  
  
Samantha had sat back down. "Oh yes," she had replied.  
  
"They think we're-"  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
"Are we-"  
  
We had looked at each other.  
  
"It'd be hard to keep up a relationship over distance," Samantha had said slowly.  
  
"How would you know?" Hardy had retorted.  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"Why not?" I asked.  
  
"Agreed."  
  
"Dinner and a movie?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
Cameron had tugged at the collar of his shirt. "Boy. You guys are moving really fast. Just remember- keep the shirts on, huh?"  
  
Samantha had slapped him. I had punched him.  
  
"So what are you doing tonight?" Alexis asked.  
  
"I'm going to dinner and a movie, actually. With Samantha."  
  
"Ah," Alexis said as if she understood. "You and Sammie. You guys, you know, you didn't..."  
  
"Why does everyone think that?" I shouted. "No, Alexis. We did not do it."  
  
"Okay. Just checking."  
  
"Who did it?" Mom asked, coming into the kitchen with a bowl of ice cream.  
  
"Forget it. Just forget it."  
  
  
  
iJake  
  
I watched him through the leader. The other leader. They'd done what we had said and held him for three days. I admit that I had someone, either one of us or the Chee, watching them all the time, but maybe we shouldn't have bothered. They'd done that one thing well.  
  
But they did need our help. He'd only gone into the Yeerk pool with one morph. That was unacceptable. He ran a risk to everyone. He hadn't even thought about it until he was there. They needed help.  
  
I wondered if that was what the Ellimist wanted. For us to help them. Marco had already expressed his disbelief at having to baby-sit plenty of times.  
  
Well, we'd have to help them anyway. Eventually. If they got caught, it didn't make our lives any easier, having them running around like idiots. Yes, we'd have to talk to them./I  
  
  
  
Chapter 22  
  
"So," Samantha said. The announcer had just announced that her flight was ready for boarding. "This is it."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Hey," Cameron said. "If you see any cute girls down there, feel free to give them my number, okay."  
  
"Right. 1-800-OLD-NFAT. Got it."  
  
Cameron grinned agreeably. "That's just the free line," he said.  
  
Samantha rolled her eyes. "Bye, Alexis. Laurel. Hardy, don't have anything to do with me, please. You're too annoying. Chris: Call me."  
  
"Sure."  
  
"And another thing. Call me Sam."  
  
"Sam?" I asked. It felt weird.  
  
"Yeah. You know. After all we've been through, you can actually shorten my name, you know."  
  
"Uh-huh." Sam? It felt weird.  
  
"What about me?" Cameron asked pitifully.  
  
"You leave me alone," Samantha- I mean, Sam, said. "Freak," she muttered loud enough for him to hear.  
  
"Well, I'll see you guys around, I guess."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
She stood in front of me for a few minutes. "Be sure to call," she said again.  
  
"Count on it."  
  
"Yeah. Count on it," she echoed. She turned and walked to the gate. Before she walked away, she turned and waved.  
  
  
iErek  
  
We were in the airport, watching them.  
  
"And the Ellimist said she would move here?" I asked for confirmation. Even though I knew the answer. After all, I couldn't forget. A blessing and a curse, but I think I was finally getting used to it. After so many years, I was just now beginning to accept it.  
  
"Yeah," Jake said. He sat in a plastic seat next to Cassie, with Ax on the end next to him. Rachel sat next to Tobias. Marco sat next to me. I didn't like the coupling, but Marco was a friend. It's just two couples dating, and then another couple on the end. I felt kind of awkward. But they had also invited me to watch their- our- new allies separate. I was glad they had invited me when they didn't need to. Spying can get old, and Marisa had already said she felt as if she were serving four-year-olds. It was nice that they sometimes just wanted to be friends.  
  
I was beginning to wonder if they felt a bit like parents to the others.  
  
We watched as they went their different ways. Both Jake and Cassie and Rachel and Tobias did something like squeeze each other's hands. Marco saw and said, "Great. Thank you. I don't feel alone. Ax and Erek are going to be single a long time- no offense-" he told me. I waved it away. I'd have to pretend to live a normal life sooner or later. I'd probably date Marisa for a while soon. "But I'm human, I'm cute, I'm funny. Why can't I find someone?" He looked at me. "Got any girl holograms or something?"  
  
I shook my head. "Thankfully, no."  
  
The others watched her plane fly off and then turned back. Chris said something about going to the Star Wars movie. Hardy said he'd managed to get tickets, but it was a shame Sam couldn't go with them. As the girl Laurel walked by us, she looked at us oddly. I made the hologram look a different way, watch a plane land, but I watched her. She looked at us suspiciously. Suspicion wasn't bad. It might even help them.  
  
I stood up and explained that I had to get home. We were cleaning. Marco rolled his eyes and said, "What else do you do?"  
  
Jake and Cassie invited me to hang out with them sometime. I grinned and said, "Maybe later," but I knew I wouldn't be able to. I couldn't attract interest by hanging out with them. It might be too dangerous. I left with Tobias and Rachel and Ax. Tobias followed Chris. Rachel followed Hardy and Laurel. Ax followed Cameron.  
  
I went home to the Pemalites and other Chee./i  
  
  
  
Chapter 23  
  
A few weeks later, I got a call for Sam.  
  
"Hey, Chris," she said.  
  
"Hey."  
  
"I've got some good news."  
  
"Like what?" I asked.  
  
"I'm moving."  
  
"You're moving. Why is that good news?"  
  
"Well, I'm going to be living a few blocks away from you. Maybe less."  
  
"Why?"  
  
She laughed a little. "You know how I thought it was going to be boring here?"  
  
"Yeah. Did you get into trouble?"  
  
"A bit. Nothing I couldn't handle."  
  
"That's good."  
  
"A lot of it was luck, I have to admit that, but something's happening, Chris."  
  
"What do you mean?" I asked. I lowered my voice. "The Yeerks?"  
  
"Something like that. There are more people like us, Chris. More people who can- Well, you know. Listen, I can't talk long. I met my relative here. Liddy. You know her?"  
  
"I think I heard Hardy talking about her a few times."  
  
"Yeah, well, you're going to hate me. Maybe. I had to- Crud. Um, Chris, I've got to go. I'll see you later, okay? When my mom takes me up there to look for a house?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
I hung up. Too many questions. I shook my head and went to go watch "The Simpsons."  
  
  
iI'd given them all the help I would be able to. I'd bent the rules, but Crayak wouldn't be able to interfere. I'd made sure of it. The girl didn't have much power, but she had more than she knew of. She didn't know how to use it, and now I'd given her more power. A different kind. Maybe by learning how to master one power she could master the other.  
  
Crayak shouldn't have given her the other power in the first place, but he had to be a fool. Well, I'd done my share to make sure we would be able to continue our little game. The Animorphs would have to do the rest. Crayak was indebted to me.  
  
But the new Animorphs. They'd figured out what they were, what to call themselves, with a little pushing on my part. Now I needed to make sure they stayed alive. Especially the girl. If her power got loose, untrained, it would be disastrous. Crayak should have thought more carefully before having children./i 


End file.
